Wylie Aronow Stepping Down From Yuga Labs

Considering how successful and important Yuga Labs is in the NFT sector, it comes as no surprise that it is constantly going through changes and announcing new developments. Whether it’s the company’s new gaming endeavours or its ongoing lawsuit with Ryder Ripps, it is always in the news. 

However, the latest bit of news coming out of Yuga Labs has to do with Wylie Aronow (popularly knobs as Gordon Goner), one of the original founders of the Bored Ape Yacht Club. In a January 28, 2023 Twitter thread, Aronow explained that he will be stepping away from his role in Yuba Labs due to some ongoing health conditions. 

Aronow’s New Changes 

In the thread, Aronow revealed that he has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure and as a result, he will be making some changes to his daily life. 

“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,” he said. 

Some of these changes will include him stepping back and taking a leave of absence from his role at Yuga Labs. This is not the first time that Aronow is speaking publicly about his health challenges. In an open letter from last year refuting Ryder Ripps’ allegations of the Bored Ape Club having nazi origins, he explained the background behind his monicker ‘Godorn Goner’. 

The reason for the name is that Aronow has suffered from health problems for a lot of his life and his friends would joke that he was a ‘Goner’. These issues were so severe that he says that he ‘lost’ his 20s to chronic illness. Sadly, he is still battling poor health and noted that his dedication to Yuga Labs (which included working 12-hour days almost every day) took a toll on his health and he is now choosing to step back. 

But this departure does not mean that he is turning away completely from Yuga Labs. 

“What’s next? I’ll stay on as a board member and strategic advisor. My confidence in Yuga’s future and @cryptogarga’s leadership are unwavering. Daniel Alegre (@dalegre) soon joining only makes me more bullish,” he said in his statement. 

What This Means

While it is unfortunate that Aronow is suffering from such a condition, he did clarify that his symptoms are mostly mild. He noted that while he gets winded going up and down stairs and struggles with exercise, he is able to live a mostly normal life. 

And even with this, he has made it clear that he is not leaving the ecosystem he helped build entirely. In his role as a board member and strategic advisor, he can still influence the development of Yuga Labs as a whole. Hopefully, Aronow’s health is able to improve as time goes on and he could even return to his role in the future.