Cointelegraph CEO Leaves for AI Venture as Newsrooms Struggle

Yana Prikhodchenko left Cointelegraph after nearly five years to become co-founder and CEO of Phase, an AI-agent blockchain venture backed by a $45 million funding commitment from founder Kirill Eves. She remains a Cointelegraph shareholder, has received equity in Phase and left all operational and management roles, according to BeInCrypto. Prikhodchenko said her move was a personal decision influenced by her interest in AI, not pressure on the industry. During her tenure, she expanded Cointelegraph beyond journalism into research, marketing and events, with the workforce exceeding 200. Crypto newsrooms have faced closures and staff cuts as search traffic fell: Blockworks closed its newsroom in October 2025, DL News shut down in May 2026 despite 270% revenue growth in its research business, and Reuters Institute data showed Google search referrals to publishers fell 33% globally between November 2024 and November 2025. Archived pages show Cointelegraph operated gambling-related sections in 2025; its April 2026 editorial policy prohibited such coverage. Reports linked lower search visibility to Google spam enforcement, but no penalty against Cointelegraph has been publicly confirmed. Prikhodchenko declined to address reported staffing cuts and denied that industry pressures prompted her exit. Phase founder Eves also founded Unlimit, which co-hosted Cointelegraph’s LONGITUDE events; Cointelegraph covered Phase’s October 29 launch before her appointment. Prikhodchenko denied involvement in that coverage and said editorial decisions were independent. No direct corporate ownership relationship between Cointelegraph and Phase has been established.