SWAMP SHAKEUP: Michael Figge Replaces Garga As Yuga Labs CEO, Promising To Make BAYC The Best Club On The Internet And Otherside “A World Class Social Platform”

A new era around the swamp is about to begin after a major shakeup at Yuga Labs, with longtime Chief Creative Officer Michael Figge stepping in as CEO and replacing Co-Founder Garga.

Things were anything but boring on Thursday as Figge took to the timeline and officially announced that he is now leading all things Yuga Labs, promising a renewed focus on making the Bored Ape Yacht Club the best club on the internet and Otherside a world class social platform.

“The Club needs to be part of your world, not just your timeline,” he tweeted. “We’ll be doing way more stuff together as a club - meetups, moments, access, apparel. I see all of this guided by three pillars: IRL, Storytelling, and Style…With Otherside, we’re developing a world class social platform for digital ownership and crypto. People will explore Otherdeeds, compete for resources, and build their own experiences. To win, we’re going to need to grow our user base a lot, and prove how every community can succeed in Otherside. We’ve made a lot of progress over the last few weeks and I’m stoked to show you, there’s a lot more ahead.”

 

Figge is Yuga Labs’ fourth-ever CEO, taking over for Garga, who originally stepped into the role in February 2024, replacing former Activision Blizzard COO Daniel Alegre.

During his time as CEO, Garga oversaw major moves across the ecosystem, including the launch of ApeChain, the rollout of a persistent, always on Otherside, and a refocus on Yuga Labs’ core projects through the sale of assets like HV-MTL, Kodamara, Meebits, CryptoPunks, and Moonbirds. He also played a key role in the transition away from the ApeCoin DAO and the creation of ApeCo, a new entity designed to support the three pillars of the Yugaverse: ApeChain, the BAYC, and Otherside.

As Figge steps into the role, Garga made it clear he believes the company is in the right hands.

“There’s no one I trust more to lead Yuga through this next chapte,” he said “He’s relentless about product quality, he thinks longterm, and he knows how to take a vision and make it real. His work on Otherside the past year is proof of that, and you haven’t seen the half of it. And I’ve loved watching Figge get his hands dirty in the world of BAYC over the last few weeks. The club is better for it.”

 

While Garga may be stepping down as CEO, he’s not going anywhere.

Looking ahead, he will serve as Chairman of the Board, where he plans to focus on creative direction, writing, and dreaming up the next wave of insane ideas for the swamp.

“I can’t wait for what Yuga builds next,” he said.

 

The Gazette will continue to follow today’s swamp shakeup and bring you more updates and community reaction as the story develops. Stay tuned!