The prediction market platform Kalshi has appointed digital asset influencer John Wang as the head of its cryptocurrency division, with the CEO calling the move a "bet on the slope."
In a Monday announcement, Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour stated that the company has hired the 23-year-old influencer from New York, who dropped out of the University of Pennsylvania in 2024 to "pursue a career in cryptocurrency." According to his LinkedIn profile, Wang previously worked as a researcher at Paradigm, interned at Immutable, and co-founded the blockchain security company Armor Labs in 2022.
"The slope means high-quality thinking, big dreams, and relentless hard work," Mansour said. "The longer I spend time with John, the more convinced I become. I can't wait to work with him on the roadmap we are developing."
Wang's appointment comes at a time when Kalshi is under scrutiny, as U.S. lawmakers are considering the nomination of Brian Quintenz to chair the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which has regulatory authority over the company.
The CFTC initiated enforcement action against Kalshi in September 2024 during the Biden administration but moved to dismiss the case in May during President Trump's term.
As the new head of the cryptocurrency division, Wang suggested that prediction markets could allow people to engage more in "politics, finance, and culture," citing his experience monitoring bets on the 2024 U.S. presidential election:
Although Kalshi launched in 2021, the platform's activity surged ahead of the 2024 U.S. elections, offering users a variety of betting options. Despite the CFTC seeking a temporary injunction to prevent Kalshi from listing political event contracts, a court ruled in October—one month before the federal elections—that the platform could offer such bets.
Kalshi completed a $185 million funding round in June, bringing the company's valuation to approximately $2 billion. This funding round and Wang's hiring came after the platform announced it would accept Bitcoin (BTC) deposits in April as part of efforts to attract more cryptocurrency-native users.
Related: Opinion: The Future of Cryptocurrency in the Asia-Middle East Corridor Lies in Licensed Scale
Original: “Kalshi Appoints Influencer John Wang as Head of Cryptocurrency Division”
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