Former Base designer Benji Taylor joins X as design lead

Elon Musk appointed crypto veteran Benji Taylor to lead design at X as the social platform builds X Money, a payments system now in internal beta and targeting a public launch in April 2026.

X Money is being developed as a hub for transactions on the platform. Company materials outline peer-to-peer fiat payments, high-yield savings, and crypto features integrated into the app. A limited external rollout is planned ahead of the broader release.

The plan includes “smart cashtags,” expected to let users access trading for stocks and crypto from the X timeline. Product lead Nikita Bier has made clear that X does not intend to execute trades or operate as a brokerage, focusing instead on data tools and links to partners.

Announcing the role, Taylor wrote, “I'm honoured to be joining X to lead design. I believe this is the most important platform in the world, and I can't think of a more exciting place to help shape the future.”

Bier noted that he invested in Taylor's app six years ago and praised the work:

It was one of the most well-designed products I'd encountered. After six months of convincing, we're finally teaming up and building the greatest design team in the industry.” He added last month, “I genuinely want crypto to proliferate on X.

Taylor's career has centered on crypto wallets, decentralized finance and blockchain user interfaces. He founded Los Feliz Engineering, which built Family, a self-custody wallet acquired by Aave in 2023. After the acquisition, he served as Aave's chief product officer before moving on to lead design for Base, Coinbase's Layer 2 network.

Internal testing of X Money is still ongoing, with a phased rollout planned before the April 2026 target. That work comes as X is already facing scrutiny over monetization rules, including its decision to pause creator payouts weighting after pushback from users. The company has not announced a date for the first external release or clarified geographic availability. Early features are expected to include peer-to-peer transfers, savings options and crypto-linked tools.