Gemini Halts MIT Hiring Over Gensler's Return

Gary Gensler's Return to MIT Sparks Hiring Freeze at Gemini Exchange

Tyler Winklevoss, co-founder of the Gemini cryptocurrency exchange, has announced a hiring freeze for MIT graduates and interns. This decision comes in response to former Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler's return to MIT as a professor and co-director of FinTechAI at the university's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.

In a recent X post, Winklevoss stated, "As long as MIT has any association with Gary Gensler, Gemini will not hire any graduates from this school. Not even interns for our summer intern program." This bold move reflects the ongoing tension between the cryptocurrency industry and regulatory bodies, with Gemini taking a stand against Gensler's perceived hostility towards the sector.

MIT, ranked as the second-best university in the U.S. by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025, is known for producing many prominent figures in the crypto sphere. However, Gemini's decision to halt hiring from the institution has sparked controversy and debate within the industry.

Crypto industry players have labeled Gensler as antagonistic towards crypto due to his harsh stance on the sector during his tenure at the SEC. The SEC under Gensler's leadership was accused of waging war against the crypto industry by insisting that all tokens distributed fall under securities.

Gemini is not the first crypto firm to cut ties with institutions associated with former officials linked to the Biden Administration. In early December, Coinbase said it would stop working with firms that hire people linked to the Biden Administration's "bad deeds" after law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP hired ex-SEC chief Gurbir Grewal as a partner.

Many crypto traders see Gensler's return to MIT as a major disappointment, as he will be teaching a new generation of innovators and influencing their views on fintech, AI, and most definitely crypto. UniSwap executive and MIT graduate Devin Walsh said she felt "incredibly embarrassed and disappointed to see them rehire Gensler" and that joining the program would be "a waste of time, tuition funds, and energy" for students hoping to learn about new technologies in the finance field.

As tensions between the crypto industry and regulatory figures continue to escalate