Sui co-founder logs off the chain, logs on at Anthropic 🛡️

Sam Blackshear, co-founder and chief technology officer of Mysten Labs, said he is stepping down to join Anthropic, where he will work on defensive security research. Mysten Labs is the developer of the Sui blockchain, which Blackshear helped create in September 2021 alongside four former Meta executives.

Blackshear said Mysten Labs co-founder and CEO Evan Cheng will take responsibility for setting the company's "technical vision" going forward. Blackshear will remain a close advisor to Mysten Labs and the Sui ecosystem, and said he plans to stay involved with the Move Foundation.

"When I reflect on my career, I have been happiest doing hands-on technical work while exploring new problem domains," Blackshear said. "This is an opportunity to do both, and I'm motivated to work on security at a time when the balance of power between attackers and defenders is shifting."

The move comes as artificial intelligence tools are increasingly being used to identify software vulnerabilities, automate phishing campaigns and accelerate attacks on blockchain infrastructure. In his new role, Blackshear will focus on the defensive side of that trend at Anthropic.