# Jing Wang

> Jing Wang (Jinglan Wang) is the co-founder and CEO of OP Labs, the company that builds and maintains Optimism, one of the largest Ethereum Layer 2 scaling ecosystems. She helped turn a small nonprofit research effort, Plasma Group, into the OP Stack, an open-source framework that now powers a majority of Ethereum's Layer 2 activity and is used by chains from Coinbase, Uniswap, World, Kraken, and Sony. Known for championing retroactive public goods funding and a collaborative, inclusive leadership style, Wang has guided Optimism through a $150M Series B and its evolution from a single chain into the vision of a networked 'Superchain.'

- **Role:** Co-Founder and CEO at OP Labs PBC (Optimism)
- **Organizations:** OP Labs PBC, Optimism Foundation, Optimism PBC, Plasma Group, Blockchain Education Network
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Studied art and computer science (did not complete degree), Wellesley College, Member / early involvement, MIT Bitcoin Club, Fellow, IDEO / NASDAQ blockchain fellowship
- **Known for:** Co-founded Optimism, one of the largest Ethereum Layer 2 scaling ecosystems, Led development and open-sourcing of the OP Stack, which powers a majority of Ethereum Layer 2 activity, Grew adoption to include major chains and institutions such as Coinbase (Base), Uniswap, World, Kraken, and Sony's blockchain efforts

## Career timeline

- **2012-2016** — Studied art and computer science at Wellesley College and got involved with the MIT Bitcoin Club
- **2017** — Executive Director of the Blockchain Education Network, coordinating thousands of students across dozens of countries
- **2018** — Worked on blockchain initiatives including a product management role at NASDAQ and a blockchain fellowship with IDEO; collaborated on Handshake, a decentralized naming system
- **2019** — Co-founded Plasma Group and then Optimism with Karl Floersch, Ben Jones, and Kelvin Fichter, pivoting from Plasma research to optimistic rollups
- **2021** — Optimism launches its mainnet as an Ethereum Layer 2 scaling network
- **2022** — Raised a $150M Series B led by Paradigm and a16z at a $1.65B valuation; Optimism split into the Optimism Foundation and OP Labs, with Wang leading the Foundation
- **2024** — OP Stack becomes the most widely adopted Layer 2 framework; Wang and the founding team nominated for CoinDesk's Most Influential list
- **2026** — As CEO of OP Labs, Wang oversees a 20% workforce reduction, framing it as a strategic decision to 'do fewer things well'

## Achievements

- Co-founded Optimism, one of the largest Ethereum Layer 2 scaling ecosystems
- Led development and open-sourcing of the OP Stack, which powers a majority of Ethereum Layer 2 activity
- Grew adoption to include major chains and institutions such as Coinbase (Base), Uniswap, World, Kraken, and Sony's blockchain efforts
- Raised a $150M Series B led by Paradigm and a16z at a $1.65B valuation (2022)
- Championed retroactive public goods funding as a model for sustaining open-source development
- Nominated for CoinDesk's 2024 Most Influential list as part of the Optimism founding team
- Helped scale the Blockchain Education Network across thousands of students and dozens of countries

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — As CEO of OP Labs, Wang confirmed a roughly 20% staff reduction, describing it as a strategic move to narrow focus and 'do fewer things well' rather than a response to financial trouble.
- **2024-12** — Featured in a CoinDesk profile on the widely adopted OP Stack and nominated for CoinDesk's Most Influential list.

## Links

- Website: https://oplabs.co
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jing-wang-576a3772
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/jinglejamOP

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/jing-wang
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-16