Share this article
Facebook Has a New Director of Engineering for Blockchain
Facebook is getting even more serious about blockchain, appointing a new director of engineering to focus on the technology.
By Muyao Shen
Updated Sep 13, 2021, 8:08 a.m. Published Jul 6, 2018, 3:30 p.m.
Facebook appears to be getting more serious about blockchain, having recently named an engineering director dedicated to the technology.
The social media giant has appointed one of its senior engineers, Evan Cheng, as its first "director of engineering, blockchain." The new position was first reported by TechCrunch and confirmed by Facebook on Thursday.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
According to Cheng's LinkedIn profile, he served as the director of engineering for programming languages and runtimes at Facebook for almost three years prior to his new focus on blockchain, following a 10-year stint at Apple.
On Cheng's Twitter account, his biography also implies that he has an expertise in blockchain and crypto as it claims that his "day job - programming languages, runtimes, compilers; night job - blockchain, crypto."
CoinDesk reported in May that the company launched a team specifically to explore this emerging technology. Facebook's long-time head of its Messenger platform, David Marcus, was tasked with leading the team. Marcus, who is also a member of Coinbase's board of directors, was previously president of payments firm PayPal.
The news also follows Facebook's recent ease on a crypto-related ads ban.
While the company banned all crypto ads back in January, it has since quietly set up an application form for certain types of crypto ads to get posted in June. Advertisements related to initial coin offerings (ICOs) and crypto binary options are still not allowed.
Facebook image via Shutterstock.
More For You
What to know:
- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
More For You
Barclays Sees ‘Down-Year’ for Crypto in 2026 Without Big Catalysts
Spot trading volumes are cooling, and investor enthusiasm is fading amid a lack of structural growth drivers, analysts wrote in a new report.
What to know:
- Barclays forecasts lower crypto trading volumes in 2026, with no clear catalysts to revive market activity.
- Spot market slowdowns pose revenue challenges for retail-focused platforms like Coinbase and Robinhood, the bank said.
- Regulatory clarity, including pending market structure legislation, could shape long-term market growth despite near-term headwinds.
Top Stories
