This month we say goodbye to an exceptional colleague and friend as Sam Blackshear @b1ackd0g begins a new chapter at Anthropic. Sam has been instrumental in the evolution of blockchain, both as a scientific discipline and as an industry. He is one of the smartest, most grounded, and most productive engineers I’ve ever had the privilege to work with. What many people don’t know is that beyond his technical brilliance, he has a genuine passion for contributing to humanity’s future through technology. I’m confident he’ll make a tremendous impact at Anthropic, advancing the fields of AI and software security in ways that very few people can. On a personal note, I genuinely don’t think I would have ended up at Meta or co-founding Mysten Labs if our paths hadn’t crossed at a research event in Canada. After that, Sam was the one who practically referred me to Meta, a decision that changed the trajectory of my career and, ultimately, my life. For that, and for many years of friendship, collaboration, and inspiration, I’ll always be grateful. Thank you Sam, wishing the best