Solana Co-Founder Sued by Ex-Wife for Secretly Profiting from Staking Rewards

Stephen Akridge, co-founder of Solana, faces a lawsuit filed by his ex-wife Elisa Rossi.

Rossi alleges he secretly profited from her Solana (SOL) tokens through staking rewards.

Filed in San Francisco’s Superior Court on 24 December 2024, the complaint accuses Akridge of earning “millions of dollars” in staking rewards from her tokens without her consent.

Rossi claims that under their March divorce agreement, the SOL tokens were to be split equitably. However, she alleges Akridge exploited his superior knowledge of cryptocurrencies to retain control of the tokens.

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Solana Co-Founder Secretly Staked Ex-Wife’s Tokens

According to the complaint, Akridge granted Rossi’s wallet authority over three accounts containing SOL. He continued staking the tokens and collecting rewards in secret until Rossi discovered the activity in May 2024.

The total number of SOL tokens and the exact amount allegedly misappropriated remain undisclosed in the lawsuit, though it notes the sum exceeds $25,000. The filing highlights “significant sums at issue” and includes a request to seal sensitive parts of the case.

Rossi claims to have sent multiple text messages between May and December 2024, seeking the return of the staking rewards, only to be met with dismissive responses. She alleges Akridge laughed at her and said, “Good luck getting those staking rewards from me.”

Solana co-founder Stephen Akridge is being sued by his ex-wife Elisa Rossi, who accuses him of withholding millions of dollars in staking rewards as part of their divorce settlement. pic.twitter.com/hsjROrhnYZ

— Sid Woolley (@SeritGTR) December 30, 2024

Akridge, who served as Solana Labs’ principal engineer and is now CEO of the cybersecurity firm Cyber Grant, has not publicly commented on the allegations.

Solana, a blockchain network known for hosting several 2024 crypto trends like memecoins, allows users to stake SOL tokens to validate transactions and earn rewards.

With SOL’s price soaring to an all-time high of $263 last month, staking rewards have become a lucrative source of income for token holders.

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Solana Surpasses Ethereum As Top Ecosystem for New Developers

As reported, Solana has overtaken Ethereum as the top destination for new developers in 2024, breaking Ethereum’s eight-year dominance in the space.

Solana saw 7,625 new developers join its ecosystem this year, surpassing Ethereum’s 6,456. The surge was driven largely by increased developer activity in Asia.

Solana’s momentum began in July, when it officially outpaced Ethereum in onboarding new developers for the first time since 2016. This trend continued through the remainder of 2024, with Solana’s developer activity growing by 83% year over year.

Furthermore, Solana achieved over $100 billion in decentralized exchange (DEX) trading volume for the second consecutive month in December.

With a $107.865 billion in monthly DEX volume (as of Dec. 27), Solana outpaced its competitors in December, including Binance Smart Chain (BSC) and Ethereum, which recorded $91.444 billion and $84.168 billion.

In November, Solana also reigned supreme with $129.736 billion in DEX volume, well ahead of Ethereum’s $70.635 billion.

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