Ethereum L2 Eclipse CEO Steps Back Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations

Neil Somani, founder and CEO of the Ethereum layer 2 Eclipse project, announced a temporary reduction in his role following allegations of sexual misconduct.

In a statement published on May 9, Al-Sumani addressed these accusations, affirming his innocence and acknowledging the seriousness of the situation.

Al Somani denies allegations of sexual misconduct

The accusations against Al-Sumani appeared on Twitter last week, prompting him to respond quickly. He denied this, saying: “Serious allegations were made against me on Twitter last week. “These allegations are false,” Somani wrote in a post on the X platform.

I have never sexually assaulted or harassed any woman. This is a serious issue endemic to our industry and society in general, and I do not mean to diminish its magnitude by denying these false claims.

— neelsalami.eth 🌑 (@neelsalami) May 9, 2024

He acknowledged the seriousness of the situation and stressed the need to conduct a comprehensive and thoughtful investigation into the matter, stressing that “serious allegations of sexual misconduct require a serious and thoughtful response.”

Al-Sumani stated that he had never engaged in any form of sexual assault or harassment, and expressed his commitment to proving his innocence.

Following these accusations, he decided to step back from his public-facing role, stating that Eclipse's senior leadership was well-equipped to handle the responsibilities in his absence. He expressed his confidence that allowing the necessary talks to take place would reveal the truth about the accusations.

“While I work to clear my name and defend myself, it is not fair to the Eclipse team, our investors, or our developer ecosystem for this situation to impact their reputation and the technology we work so hard to build.”

Eclipse responds

Eclipse responded to the unfolding situation, reiterating its support for a comprehensive investigation. The company expressed its commitment to transparency and accountability in a separate statement issued on X. “Our team takes the allegations against our CEO, Neil Somani, very seriously and believes in the importance of the truth,” Eclipse announced.

Eclipse remains committed to maintaining the highest personal and professional standards, including gender equality and fair treatment. The team takes the allegations against our CEO, Neil Somani, very seriously and believes in the importance of the truth.

– Eclipse 🌑 (@EclipseFND) May 9, 2024

Amid Somani's decision to step back temporarily, Eclipse reassured its community of its commitment to its mission. “Our mission at Eclipse has always been to bridge the gap between Ethereum and Solana and build a new, truly high-performance blockchain for the future of the cryptocurrency industry,” the company emphasized. “We remain committed to this vision, our supporters and our broader ecosystem/community.”

Eclipse is a recently expanded layer 2 blockchain project on Ethereum Announce A successful Series A funding round, raising $50 million before its debut on the mainnet. The funding round, co-led by Placeholder and Hack VC, brought the total amount raised by the company to $65 million.