Sam Blackshear (@b1ackd0g), the creator of the Move programming language used for Sui smart contracts, now works on defensive security research at Anthropic (@AnthropicAI). He left @Mysten_La
Sam Blackshear (@b1ackd0g), the creator of the Move programming language used for Sui smart contracts, now works on defensive security research at Anthropic (@AnthropicAI). He left @Mysten_Labs, the company behind @SuiNetwork, where he served as co-founder and chief technology officer.
Blackshear first built Move for Facebook's stablecoin project, Libra, which was later renamed Diem. According to Sui's own developer blog, he developed the language for the Diem blockchain, part of Meta's Libra project, with the aim of making it more universal than existing blockchain languages. His Sui author profile says he spent nearly six years at Meta as a principal engineer leading Move's development.
The Libra effort did not last. KuCoin News, citing TechFlow, reports that regulators halted the stablecoin project, but Move survived. In September 2021, Blackshear left Meta with four former colleagues to found Mysten Labs and build the Sui blockchain around the language. Move later became Sui's main smart contract language and has been adopted by other blockchain projects, CoinInsider reports.
Blackshear announced the move on August 5. In his post, he said he was motivated to work on security at a time when the balance of power between attackers and defenders is shifting. CoinInsider reports that he did not disclose his start date, reporting line or specific research assignment.
He is not cutting ties with Sui. Blackshear said he will remain a close advisor to Mysten and to any Sui ecosystem builders who reach out. Mysten CEO Evan Cheng will set the company's technical vision, and CoinInsider notes that Mysten has not named a replacement CTO.
Blackshear also said a Move Foundation is in the works and that he wants to stay involved however he can. He has worked on the language for more than eight years. The exact structure, timeline and governance of the foundation have not been published.
The move is also part of a wider pattern. KuCoin News, citing TechFlow, notes that other crypto figures, including Ethereum's Tomasz Stańczak and OpenSea's Alex Atallah, have also shifted toward AI work. For Sui, the immediate question is how Mysten Labs fills the technical leadership gap and how the planned foundation shapes Move's development.
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