• Mastercard’s former NFT product lead, Satvik Sethi, has made allegations of workplace mistreatment and sold his resignation letter as an NFT.
• Sethi claimed Mastercard cut his salary package by 40%, which he had to supplement with side jobs, and that he was harassed by management.
• After resigning, Sethi asked for support in minting an NFT of his resignation letter, with 100% proceeds going towards survival.
Mastercard’s Fumbled Foray Into the Crypto Space
Payments tech firm Mastercard began its foray into Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) sometime in 2021. However, this move has been mired in controversy after Satvik Sethi, its former NFT product lead, made public allegations of workplace mistreatment as he resigned and even went forth to mint and sell his resignation letter as an NFT.
Sethi’s Allegations Against Mastercard
Sethi railed against the payments tech giant for allegedly mistreating him and downplaying his role in the company’s ambition to enter the crypto space. He claimed that Mastercard cut out his salary package by 40%, during a bear cycle when industry-wide decline in NFTs was seen. This also coincided with his decision to move from New York City to London. Moreover, Sethi asserted that he was harassed by the management due to „a series of mismanaged processes, miscommunication [and] internal inefficiency.“
Resignation Letter Minted As An NFT
After resigning from Mastercard, Sethi asked his Twitter followers to support him with the minting of an NFT: his own resignation letter. The NFT in question was minted for 0.023 ETH with 100% of proceeds going towards survival funds for the former employee.
Loss Of British Work Visa
Following this debacle with Mastercard and leaving their employ, Sethi will soon lose his British work visa and will have no other option but to return back home to India where he plans on working from for the foreseeable future.
Conclusion
Mastercard’s foray into new technologies such as blockchain and cryptocurrency has led them into murky waters due to controversies such as these caused by disgruntled employees who have taken it upon themselves to use new technologies such as Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) against them. It is yet another example of how technology can be used against corporations or individuals alike if not handled properly – which could potentially cause long-term reputational damage if companies do not take proper steps to address these issues immediately after they arise.