Coinbase names Rob Witoff as new chief technology officer

Coinbase veteran Rob Witoff has been named the company’s chief technology officer, taking on responsibility for leading its technology strategy and engineering efforts.

Witoff was among the company’s earliest engineering leaders and helped define Coinbase’s original technical vision alongside its founders.

After departing in 2017, he launched cold storage startup Unit 410, which Coinbase later acquired. He returned to Coinbase in December 2024 as Head of Platform and joined the company’s executive team.

In a statement, Witoff said his primary goal is to make Coinbase the world’s best platform for builders as software development becomes increasingly powered by AI.

He said the company has transformed dramatically since its early years, when it operated on a single codebase and supported only one crypto. Despite that growth, he said Coinbase has retained its engineering culture and rapid pace of innovation, which he believes positions the company for its next phase of expansion.