Eclipse founder Neil Somani replaced as CEO amid sex abuse claims

Neil Somani, founder of Ethereum Layer-2 blockchain Eclipse, has been appointed CEO amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

On May 16, Eclipse Labs said on X that “effective immediately, Vijay Chetty will be named CEO of Eclipse Labs, succeeding the outgoing Neil Somani.”

In addition to his investment experience at BlackRock, Chetty, Eclipse's Chief Development Officer, has held leadership positions at Uniswap Labs, dYdX Trading and Ripple Labs.

Action Update on behalf of Eclipse Labs: “Effective immediately, Vijay Chetty has been named CEO of Eclipse Labs, taking over for Neil Somani, who is departing.

— Eclipse (@EclipseFND) May 16, 2024

Somani said on May 9 that he was “temporarily stepping down” from his role as “public face” after telling the organization that “serious allegations of sexual abuse” had been made against him – which he denied.

Somani said he had “never sexually assaulted or harassed any woman” and “will work to clear my name and defend myself.”