Building the Next Generation Metaverse: An Interview with the Founder of the Bored Ape Yacht Club

In February of this year, the founders of the Bored Ape Yacht Club (, Greg Solano and Wylie Aronow, unexpectedly discovered that their true identities were about to be exposed by the media. This was a huge blow to them, as they had been carefully hiding their true identities.

Solano and Aronow immediately took action, starting to remove personal information from the internet and warning their families about the risks they might face. Although initially feeling panic, they quickly accepted the reality and decided to proactively share their photos on social media.

![Exclusive Interview with BAYC Bored Ape Founder: We Have Huge Ambitions to Beat Some Metaverse Giants])https://img-cdn.gateio.im/webp-social/moments-b1ef77018cc835363228576672607d99.webp(

The two founders come from completely different backgrounds. Aronow was born into a dramatic family; his father was a famous speedboat manufacturer who was murdered when he was still an infant. Aronow struggled with alcoholism and drug issues in his youth and later suffered from illness for many years. In contrast, Solano had a relatively ordinary upbringing and entered the cryptocurrency field only after working in the publishing industry for many years.

![Exclusive Interview with BAYC Bored Ape Founders: We have huge ambitions and want to defeat some Metaverse giants])https://img-cdn.gateio.im/webp-social/moments-fa582c72bd99eded80e99432b39c6fbc.webp(

Despite their vastly different backgrounds, Solano and Aronow hit it off in February 2021 and decided to co-found the BAYC project. Their inspiration came from those in the cryptocurrency community who suddenly became wealthy yet maintained a simple lifestyle. BAYC quickly became a sensation, becoming one of the most successful projects in the NFT space, attracting numerous celebrities to join.

![Interview with BAYC Bored Ape Founder: We have huge ambitions to beat some Metaverse giants])https://img-cdn.gateio.im/webp-social/moments-8fdd003e35351a9e37045b37c0319880.webp(

However, with success also comes controversy. Concept artist Ryder Ripps and others have accused BAYC of being filled with racist and Nazi symbols. The founders firmly deny these allegations, calling Ripps an "evil troll."

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Despite facing challenges, the founders of BAYC remain ambitious. They are developing a Metaverse project called Otherside, hoping to compete with tech giants like Meta. Aronow stated: "The ambition and scale of the task we are trying to accomplish here is enormous."

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The founders believe that they have enough funds and patience to weather the current crypto winter. Aronow said: "We are going to kill some giants." For this once-obscure duo, this is undoubtedly a huge challenge, but they seem ready to embrace this fight.

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