Yahoo just hired a blockchain AI team to lead its new research group
Yahoo has launched a new research group focused on advancing AI and emerging technologies across its business portfolio. Eric Feng, co-founder and chief executive of blockchain tech startup Cymbal, will lead this group as his team has been acquired by Yahoo.
Cymbal, founded in 2022 by Feng, James Jerlecki, and Nick Chang, aimed to make blockchain data “understandable by anyone” through a “human-readable” blockchain explorer. The company cataloged data points from blockchain networks, initially Ethereum, then expanding to Solana and Base. It used AI to summarize and analyze this data, explaining real-time blockchain activity.
Cymbal’s AI allowed users to determine a wallet’s portfolio ranking, identify NFT purchase numbers on specific days, or find the largest sale in a collection within a week. It could also list top purchasers on a chain and their other token acquisitions. Feng stated in 2023, “The more you use Cymbal and our data, the more you ask us to explain the blockchain to you, the better our AI system will be at generating useful and intelligent insights to make web3 understandable.”
The startup blended blockchain and AI technologies to enhance accessibility. Its team included individuals from consumer technology companies such as Meta, Microsoft, Hulu, and Flipboard, providing expertise for developing solutions to integrate web3 technology. Cymbal secured at least $18.5 million in venture funding from investors including Patron, GV, Acrew, First Round Capital, Eniac, Sixth Man Ventures, Solana Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, CAA Connect, and UTA Ventures. Financial terms of Yahoo’s acquisition were not disclosed. Cymbal’s website has since been reduced to a basic landing page.
Feng, leading Yahoo’s new Research Group, is tasked with developing “intuitive, intelligent, and forward-looking products” to enhance Yahoo’s competitiveness in the AI era. While the integration of Cymbal’s specific technology is not confirmed, opportunities exist for divisions like Yahoo Finance to leverage Cymbal AI for market insights, including cryptocurrency. This could utilize Yahoo Finance’s existing data. The Research Group’s work may also address the fluidity in the search market, as AI-powered browsers and Google’s AI Overview are altering traffic distribution to publishers, necessitating Yahoo’s embrace of AI to maintain its market position.