OPNX CEO Lamb exposes crypto industry toxic culture, discrimination OPNX CEO Lamb exposes crypto industry toxic culture, discrimination
The crypto community attributes the root cause of online abuse to Lamb's affiliation with 3AC and CoinFLEX.
2 min read
Updated: Jul. 16, 2023 at 2:41 am UTC
Cover art/illustration via CryptoSlate. Image includes combined content which may include AI-generated content.
OPNX CEO Leslie Lamb posted a lengthy tweet calling for “true equality between all people,” regardless of sex or race.
“ I have experienced firsthand the sexism, racism and slander that runs rampant through crypto communities.”
However, some in the crypto community dismissed her comments as irrelevant and a non-issue.
OPNX CEO calls for change
In a message posted on April 25, Lamb called for a change in how female CEOs are treated, especially in the crypto space — which is supposed to represent ideals such as uplifting the disadvantaged and leveling the (financial) playing field.
However, based on her personal experience, Lamb said the reality of the situation is far from the “distant dream” described above.
“I find myself confronting the bitter truth that this vision remains a distant dream.“
With that, she blamed the stunted crypto adoption curve on “ the clear absence of human decency and moral conduct” in the digital asset industry — rather than the lack of innovation or talent.
In a tweet posted last year, Benedict Evans pointed out that something technical, confusing, and hard to use presents a barrier to mass market appeal.
Nonetheless, Lamb blasted the hundreds of racist and sexist comments received in the last week alone. She said that many who claim to uphold righteous principles are the ones driving the abuse toward her.
“Innumerable individuals have sexually degraded me and dismissed me as a “figurehead”. Several have threatened me. Yesterday I was told that I should take my own life.“
Lamb said another factor in this is the nature of social media that lacks consequences for abusive behavior — resulting in “a toxic culture of rampant slander, defamation, and falsehoods.”
She signed off, calling for more unity in standing up to “corrosive culture” and “gender discrimination.”
The crypto community responds
@FatManTerra played down Lamb’s post, saying it was likely written by the OPNX marketing team, who are, ironically, “some of the most violently sexist people.” He added that Lamb does not represent women in the crypto space.
Similarly, @ApeDurden pointed out that gender is not the issue here. Instead, any abuse she had received was by proxy intended for the Three Arrows Capital (3AC) co-founders, Su Zhu and Kyle Davis, and CoinFLEX co-founder Mark Lamb.
“Literally nobody cares what gender she is, they care about the owners behind her using her as a puppet lol“
Following approval by the Seychelles Court, the CoinFLEX exchange will now rebrand to OPNX — with the FLEX token being adopted by the new entity.
Mark Lamb explained that liquidity troubles at CoinFLEX were the result of betrayal by Roger Ver, who Mark considered a friend and trusted figure at one time.
Meanwhile, 3AC filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy on July 1, 2022 , with Zhu and Davies going AWOL — leaving creditors in the lurch.
CoinFLEX aims to tap into the bankruptcy claims market by tokenizing balances owed to users by bankrupt CeFi platforms — this service has yet to roll out even though the exchange is live for spot and perpetual trading.
Mentioned in this article
Posted In: Culture
Author 
Samuel Wan
Samuel Wan, a finance professional turned full-time crypto content creator, values individual autonomy and personal freedom in his pursuits.
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In this article
FLEX is the coin that powers CoinFLEX, a physically settled futures exchange.
Bitcoin
$97,333.90
Bitcoin, a decentralized currency that defies the sway of central banks or administrators, transacts electronically, circumventing intermediaries via a peer-to-peer network.
OPNX
OPNX (Open Exchange) is a new public marketplace for crypto claims trading and derivatives.
Leslie Lamb is the CEO of OPNX (Open Exchange), a cryptocurrency exchange based in Hong Kong.