OpenSea, the prominent NFT platform, finds itself under scrutiny amid allegations of one of its former employees being linked to the infamous AnubisDAO rug pull of 2021. These accusations surfaced on social media, prompting OpenSea to respond.
The anonymous account known as NFT Ethics took to social media to tag OpenSea and raise concerns about Kevin Pawlak, the former head of ventures at the platform. Pawlak was allegedly associated with the pseudonymous identity “0xSisyphus” and accused of involvement in questionable business dealings.
Both NFT Ethics and Lookonchain, a blockchain analytics account, suggested that Pawlak, under the persona 0xSisyphus, played a significant role in promoting the AnubisDAO project to investors. Subsequently, the project transferred its raised funds to external wallets, leading to a significant loss for investors.
This revelation provides insight into Kevin’s role at OpenSea, emphasizing that he was not in a high-level or decision-making capacity. It’s crucial to understand that his departure from the company occurred before any allegations or concerns about the mentioned projects arose.
OpenSea remains focused on its commitment to transparency and accountability, ensuring that its community is informed about the roles and responsibilities of its past and current employees.
Kevin is a former employee who left the company in June 2023. He had a limited scope while at OpenSea — where he worked in a non-management position. We have no awareness of his involvement with the projects in question.
While Kevin’s association with OpenSea is part of the discussion, it’s essential to acknowledge the context of his position and the timeline of his departure, which precedes the issues currently under scrutiny.
This situation underscores the importance of clarifying the roles of individuals within organizations to avoid any misconceptions or unfounded allegations.
NFT Ethics’ claims further assert that Pawlak’s involvement in the AnubisDAO rug pull was premeditated in collaboration with other developers. The proceeds from this incident were allegedly laundered through the memecoin Pepe (PEPE).
OpenSea, in response, stated that it had no knowledge of Pawlak’s participation in such activities. They emphasized that Pawlak had a limited role at OpenSea, working in a non-management position. The platform also clarified that the events in question occurred before Pawlak’s tenure.
These allegations revolve around a rug pull worth $60 million from crypto investors, and skepticism has been raised within the crypto community regarding the accuracy of the claims. Blockchain investigator ZachXBT pointed out that the accusations seemed to rely on unrelated events without concrete evidence.
0xSisyphus, who is believed to have offered a 1,000 ETH bounty to identify the wallet responsible for the fund transfer, also engaged law enforcement in the United States and Hong Kong, casting further doubt on the accusations.
