Wylie Aronow, one of the co-founders of Yuga Labs, has just declared that he will be taking a medical leave of absence from the company. Aronow stated in a tweet that he was recently diagnosed with congestive heart failure.
“Symptoms started last year out of the blue and I put off seeking help (like an idiot) so I could keep working. But after testing, my doctor called and asked me to radically change my life,” he wrote.
Aronow announced that he would be leaving his position at Yuga in order to focus on his health.
Some heavy news: a few days ago I was told by my doctor I have congestive heart failure. Symptoms started last year out of the blue and I put off seeking help (like an idiot) so I could keep working. But after testing, my doctor called and asked me to radically change my life.
— GordonGoner.eth (Wylie Aronow) (@GordonGoner) January 28, 2023
In his tweet, Aronow expounded on his decision to depart. He explained that a chronic illness caused him to lose the majority of his twenties and that he pushed himself far too hard during his time at Yuga Labs. “I worked 12 hours a day, nearly every day. I should have taken the advice from everyone around me and sought balance. My goals now are to get the best medical treatment I can and heal,” he said.
But Aronow made it clear that his leave of absence wouldn’t cover everything. He will stay on as a Board Member and Strategic Advisor, but in a less important role. He didn’t say much about what these jobs would involve or how active he would be in them.
“Our incredibly talented friend and cofounder has the full support of the whole Yuga family as he embarks on his journey to get back to health,” the company said in a tweet.
Yuga Labs ultimately became well-known. Aronow launched the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) NFT collection on April 23, 2021, alongside Greg Solano (Gargamel), Zeshan (Sass), and Kerem. The endeavor was a great success. While the collection’s NFTs were initially priced for fair distribution at 0.08 ETH per ape (approximately $190 at the time), they quickly began selling on secondary markets for more than $100,000.
The team announced the completion of a $450 million funding round on March 22, 2022, valuing Yuga Labs at $4 billion. Andreessen Horowitz, a Silicon Valley investor, led the round.
In January of 2023, they released Dookey Dash, an interactive minting and gaming experience. Otherside, a metaverse project that represents the largest expansion of the Bored Ape NFT universe to date, has been receiving regular updates.
Since raising funds funding, the Yuga Labs team has been, to put it mildly, extremely busy. In January of 2023, they introduced Dookey Dash, an interactive gaming and minting experience. Otherside, a metaverse project that represents the largest expansion of the Bored Ape NFT universe to date, has been receiving regular updates. The team notes that the game will combine MMORPG and Web3-enabled virtual world gameplay mechanics. Specifically, players will own the land in the world, NFTs will be able to be transformed into playable characters, and more than 10,000 players will be able to play at once.
Therefore, it is not surprising that Aronow’s health has suffered as a result of the numerous late nights and stress. One-quarter (28%) of respondents reported working more than 60 hours per week. Nearly half of respondents reported working more than 50 hours per week.
