Yuga Labs names Michael Figge CEO as Greg Solano becomes chairman

Yuga Labs appointed Michael Figge as chief executive officer, and co-founder Greg Solano will take the role of chairman of the board, the company announced Thursday. Figge most recently served as chief product officer and will focus on leading the company’s Otherside metaverse efforts and related products.

Solano posted the leadership change on X, saying he will “slide into” the chairman role and praising Figge’s product work and long-term thinking. Solano noted Figge’s recent contributions to Otherside and said he would stay involved with creative direction, writing and new ideas for the company.

Figge confirmed on X that he has been acting as CEO for several weeks. He joined Yuga Labs in 2021 and has led product development for Otherside in the past year. In his post, Figge described Otherside as a “world class social platform for digital ownership and crypto,” where players can explore Otherdeeds, compete for resources and build experiences. He added that the company needs to grow its user base and show how communities can succeed inside Otherside.

The leadership change follows executive turnover at Yuga Labs over the past two years. Greg Solano became CEO in February 2024 after Daniel Alegre left the company; Alegre had served as CEO for about 10 months. Solano had been performing the CEO role for roughly two years before shifting to chairman.

Yuga Labs is known for creating the Bored Ape Yacht Club nonfungible token collection. The company has positioned Otherside as a metaRPG where players own parts of the world, digital currencies have real value and large numbers of players can interact in real time. Figge’s promotion places product and user growth for Otherside under the new CEO’s direct oversight while Solano moves to a creative and board-focused role.

Company statements say Figge will concentrate on scaling product and increasing user adoption across Otherside and related initiatives. Solano indicated he will continue to help shape Yuga Labs’ creative direction and new projects while serving as chairman.