Alameda Research Co-CEO Steps Down

Alameda Research co-CEO Sam Trabucco is stepping down from his role at the crypto quantitative trading firm and liquidity provider.

In a series of tweets Wednesday, Trabucco said he’ll stay on with the firm as an adviser, but will no longer have a strong day-to-day presence at Alameda. Caroline Ellison will continue as sole CEO, an Alameda spokesperson told Blockworks.

“For years, I couldn’t think of anything more worthwhile to do with my time than to give it to Alameda,” he tweeted. “It’s honestly been a thrill to be a part of, despite being difficult and exhausting and consuming. But I’ve reached a point in life where I have to prioritize other things.”

Founded by FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried in 2017, Alameda trades billions of dollars per day across every liquid cryptocurrency market. Trabucco and Ellison were appointed co-CEOs of the company last October after joining Alameda as traders in 2019 and 2018, respectively.  

Trabucco had reduced his role at Alameda over the last few months. He does not currently have any projects lined up.

“I can’t 100% remove myself from crypto without going into withdrawal, so I’ll probably still be around here to some extent,” he said. 

Before joining Alameda Research, Ellison worked on the equities desk at Jane Street, where she met Bankman-Fried. The two worked closely together building out Alameda’s trading floor and back-office operations into a 25-person team. 

“It’s been an incredibly formative experience working with [Trabucco],” Ellison tweeted. “I’ve missed having him around in recent months, but I’m proud of all the other Alameda employees who have stepped up and [am] more excited than ever about our future.”

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