The white-hat researcher moves to the board of the Security Alliance while its operating chief takes the top job during a search for a permanent leader
One of crypto’s best-known security researchers is handing over the keys. Samczsun, co-founder of SEAL Org, is stepping away from daily operations and moving into a board seat.
Shane Batt, the organization’s chief operating officer, is stepping in as interim CEO.
SEAL Org, formally the Security Alliance, announced the leadership transition on October 16, 2026. Samczsun will leave day-to-day management behind but stay on as a board member.
Batt moves from running operations to running the whole show, at least for now. SEAL is searching for a permanent successor, and the announcement did not include a timeline for that search.
Samczsun framed the move as a matter of fit rather than fatigue alone. In his announcement, he pointed to a gap between the skills needed to start an organization and those needed to grow one.
“Taking things from 0 to 1 requires a very different skill set than scaling from 1 to 100.”
He also said he needs a break after years of relentless work. He plans to keep offering strategic guidance while SEAL looks for a long-term chief executive.
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Community reaction to the news has been positive, centering on gratitude for what samczsun has contributed to crypto security over the years.
SEAL went public on February 14, 2024, after a stretch of operating in stealth. Its focus from the start was improving how the crypto industry responds when protocols get attacked.
The organization’s mission rests on three pillars: sharpening incident response, training developers, and protecting the white-hat hackers who step in during an exploit.
The best-known piece is SEAL 911, a response system designed to coordinate help quickly when a hack is underway. SEAL also runs war games, which are simulation-based training exercises for developers. A third strand involves legal frameworks meant to shield ethical hackers from legal uncertainty when they intervene during an attack.
Samczsun left Paradigm in April 2025 to focus entirely on building SEAL. Roughly a year and a half later, he is now stepping back from the operator’s chair while keeping a hand on the steering wheel through the board.
Promoting the COO rather than bringing in an outsider should limit disruption to programs like SEAL 911 while the permanent CEO search continues.
The key item to track is the permanent CEO search. With no timeline disclosed, the interim period could be short or extended.