Story Protocol Co-Founder Jason Zhao Steps Down, Launches New AI Company

The co-founder of the Story Protocol – Jason Zhao – has officially made an announcement on his official X account about stepping down.

Jason Zhao Steps Down After 3.5 Years

He has been the public face of Story Protocol for 3.5 years. He will remain involved with the project as a strategic advisor while focusing on launching a new company named Poseidon, which specializes in applying AI to frontier fields like science and space.

After 3.5 years building Story from scratch, I’m stepping out of my full-time role. I’ll stay closely involved as a strategic advisor.

While incubating Poseidon, I rekindled my original passion from my DeepMind days: applying AI to frontier industries like science and space.… pic.twitter.com/fd8J0c9uSO

— Jason Zhao (@jasonjzhao) August 16, 2025

About Story Protocol management after his leave, the management board now is being fully transferred to co-founder SY Lee, who will assume the role of sole CEO. The whole team would also received a reinforcement wirh new senior hires. This means a planned transition aimed at preparing for the next phase of growth.

What a run, JZ! Very excited to be your key investor and strong AI training data/IP infrastructure partner as you now breakout on your own venture.

From a whiteboard session at San Francisco Wework in ‘22 to building Story into a purpose-built IP blockchain serving top IPs, AI…

— S.Y. Lee Story/IP (@storysylee) August 16, 2025

However, just right after the Story Protocol revealed a major partnership causing its IP token price to soar, Jason Zhao has announced this news.

This combination of good news, a price surge, and the departure of a key founder has sparked debate within the community regarding the project’s future direction.

Fundamentally, this is a significant restructuring. The future of Story Protocol now hinges on the leadership of its new CEO, SY Lee, and his team.