Block.one's social media app Voice poaches Forbes exec as CEO

Voice, the social media app developed by Block.one, has recruited Forbes’ global chief digital officer Salah Zalatimo as CEO. Zalatimo is slated to start Jan. 20, according to a blog post released today.

The firm behind the EOS blockchain also said that Voice is expected to launch a public beta on February 14, 2020. Block.one first unveiled its social media app in June 2019 with much fanfare. At the time, the firm's CEO Brendan Blumer told The Block that it had poured $150 million into the project, including a $30 million purchase of the platform's domain name.

Zalatimo joined Forbes in 2015 after the media giant acquired his virtual photo-sharing startup, Camerama. Overseeing Forbes’ Digital Group since Jan. 2019, he was responsible for the creation of the company’s AI-enabled publishing platform, Bertie, which led to the doubling of Forbes’ audience size to over 110 million per month, according to Block.one’s press release. 

Built on the EOS blockchain, Voice encourages quality content on social media by rewarding native tokens to users, content creators, and advertisers who carry out meaningful engagements. Blumer believes that Zalatimo’s experience in content tool creation will be a valuable asset to Voice. 

“Salah is a rare combination of product and media talent enriched by an entrepreneurial past. His experience in creating state-of-the-art content monetization and publishing tools makes him uniquely qualified to lead Voice,” Blumer said. “As users enter an era of being rewarded for their contributions to social networks, we believe it’s also important to focus on equipping creators with tools used by the world’s most successful journalists.”