Dan Finlay, co-founder of MetaMask and longtime developer at Consensys, has announced his departure from the company after approximately 10 years of work on the crypto wallet. According to reports from crypto.news, Finlay posted on X on Wednesday, stating that Wednesday was his "last day" at Consensys. He cited "burnout" after years of building MetaMask" and plans to spend more time with his family. His exit marks a significant leadership change for one of the best-known wallet products in the Ethereum ecosystem.
MetaMask launched in 2016 under Consensys and became one of the most widely used Ethereum wallets on desktop and mobile platforms. As reported by crypto.news, the product helped many users access decentralized applications and manage digital assets during the rise of decentralized finance, NFTs, and other blockchain-based services. Over time, MetaMask expanded beyond its early Ethereum focus, adding support for more networks including non-EVM chains such as Bitcoin and Tron. The wallet also moved into newer product areas such as prediction markets, tokenized stocks, and a payment card launched with Mastercard that offers cashback in mUSD.
Soon after announcing his departure, Finlay pointed to the release of Advanced Permissions, also known as ERC-7715, according to crypto.news. The feature allows decentralized applications to request specific permissions from users so they can carry out approved actions without asking for a fresh signature every time. According to MetaMask's developer documentation, the system can support use cases such as scheduled purchases or repeated onchain actions with set limits. One example states that a user can allow a dApp to spend "10 USDC per day" to buy ETH over a month, once approved the application can use that daily amount directly from the user's wallet under permission settings. Finlay expressed satisfaction with MetaMask's recent official launch of its Advanced Permissions feature, calling it a long-awaited addition that fills a critical product gap.
The new permissions model focuses on reducing friction for users who interact with applications often by allowing them to set rules in advance instead of approving every single transaction. As reported by crypto.news, Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm reacted to the update on X and called the feature "extremely important." Storm noted that "Finally, the crypto market can offer something everyone has envied about Visa and Mastercard — recurring payment systems, which crypto hasn't had." This feature may help applications offer smoother payment flows and more consistent user experiences inside the wallet.
