By
Bhushan Akolkar
August 29th, 2022
On Tuesday, the Bitcoin Foundation members voted to remove Olivier Janssens and Jim Harper from its board.
The Bitcoin Foundation has announced that its two board members, Olivier Janssens and Jim Harper, left the organization due to the lack of unanimous opinion on the future of the foundation.
Bitcoin Foundation Vice Chairman Bobby Lee’s comments on today’s board meeting: https://t.co/2V1qejfYfU
— Bitcoin Foundation (@BTCFoundation) December 15, 2015
“We don’t take board member changes lightly but believe this to be in the best interests of the organization going forward. As has been reported and show in our public documents such as meeting minutes, our board has had some disagreements in recent months and our organization has also faced it’s fair share of ups and downs. It’s key to have a board that works well together and is effective,” Bobby Lee, the Bitcoin Foundation’s Vice Chairman, said in the blog post.
On Tuesday, all board members gathered to develop the plans of the foundation and decide on the future fundraising. After some discussion, the members conducted a vote on whether to continue the foundation.
While the majority of members – Brock Pierce, Meyer Malka, Elizabeth Ploshay and Bobby Lee – supported the idea of continuing the foundation, Jim Harper and Oliver Jansen voted it should be closed.
However, Olivier added he is not completely against the future work of the organization, saying the more thorough plan is required.
“Given the difference of opinion, I respectfully requested the resignation of Jim and Olivier so that the remaining board members are unified in a plan to stay and improve the organization. Jim agreed to resign and the board accepted,” Lee said.
“After some further discussion with Olivier, who indicated that he would support a plan but wanted to have a plan in place before supporting the organization, I made the motion that the board remove Olivier from his seat. This motion was seconded and voted affirmatively by me, Brock, Elizabeth and Meyer.”
Olivier Janssens and Jim Harper joined the board in March, 2015, leaving behind their main competitors Michael Perklin and Bruce Fenton. They were expected to bring new ideas and enhance the work of the organization.
“Jim and Olivier served as volunteers and we appreciate their time and work. Aside from the foundation they have both done a great deal for Bitcoin and no doubt will continue to,” Lee also said.
Earlier, it was reported that the organization is running out of money due to the huge expenses by its members. According to the minutes of the meeting held in October, the company needs to initiate a funding as it lacks sources of revenues.
In the near future, the Bitcoin Foundation plans to work on improving the organization and contributing to the cryptocurrency industry. Earlier, it launched an educational campaign targeted at promoting digital currency and raising people awareness of bitcoin.
“We have many dedicated volunteers such as the members of the Education, Regulatory and Election committees and our membership covers the entire globe with a roster that is far larger and more comprehensive than any other organization in Bitcoin. The board looks forward to moving ahead with a unified and positive vision,” Lee wrote.
