{"id":"benji-taylor","title":"Benji Taylor","content":"**Benji Taylor** is a British designer, product leader, and entrepreneur known for his work in consumer software and [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency)-native applications. He is the founder of the consumer software company Los Feliz Engineering, which was acquired by [Aave](https://iq.wiki/wiki/aave) Labs. In March 2026, Taylor was appointed Head of Design for X, a role that also involves work with Elon Musk's other companies, xAI and SpaceX, and is considered integral to the development of the \"X Money\" payments platform. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-VIGJTe46kDn5pyLu) [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-nApCajbVRiUeDeX8)​ [\\[5\\]](#cite-id-0thzcMVxs2wl724c)\n\n## Career\n\nBenji Taylor's career has been marked by leadership roles at the intersection of design, consumer applications, and the [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) industry. He has held senior positions at prominent [Web3](https://iq.wiki/wiki/web3) organizations and led his own company to a successful acquisition. [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-nApCajbVRiUeDeX8) [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-K5ybiRuLu3mnTrZt)​\n\n### Los Feliz Engineering\n\nTaylor founded the consumer software company Los Feliz Engineering (LFE). Under his leadership, the company developed and launched two distinct products: Honk, a real-time, live messaging application for personal communication, and Family, a self-custody [crypto wallet](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency-wallet) designed for user-friendliness. In a significant milestone for the company, Los Feliz Engineering was acquired by [Aave](https://iq.wiki/wiki/aave) Labs in September 2023. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-VIGJTe46kDn5pyLu) [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-K5ybiRuLu3mnTrZt) [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-n4O4hZy4KJFDa9Pf)​\n\n### Aave Labs\n\nFollowing the acquisition of Los Feliz Engineering in September 2023, Taylor joined [Aave](https://iq.wiki/wiki/aave) Labs, the primary development firm behind the major [decentralized finance](https://iq.wiki/wiki/defi) (DeFi) protocol [Aave](https://iq.wiki/wiki/aave). He assumed the role of Chief Product Officer (CPO), overseeing the organization's product strategy and development. Taylor served as CPO for approximately two years, departing from the position in October 2025. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-VIGJTe46kDn5pyLu) [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-nApCajbVRiUeDeX8)​\n\n### Base (Coinbase)\n\nAfter his tenure at [Aave](https://iq.wiki/wiki/aave) Labs, Taylor took on the role of Head of Design for [Base](https://iq.wiki/wiki/base), an [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) [Layer 2](https://iq.wiki/wiki/layer-2) [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) network developed and incubated by the [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) exchange [Coinbase](https://iq.wiki/wiki/coinbase). In this position, he led design efforts for the network between late 2025 and early 2026, before his move to X. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-VIGJTe46kDn5pyLu) [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-nApCajbVRiUeDeX8) [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-n4O4hZy4KJFDa9Pf)​\n\n### X, xAI, and SpaceX\n\nOn March 26, 2026, it was announced that Taylor had been hired by [Elon Musk](https://iq.wiki/wiki/elon-musk)'s social media platform X as Head of Design. His responsibilities are reported to span design initiatives across X as well as Musk's other major companies, xAI and SpaceX. The appointment is widely seen as a strategic move to advance X's financial ambitions, particularly the development of its \"X Money\" payments platform. Taylor's extensive experience in building user-friendly crypto wallets and his expertise in [Web3](https://iq.wiki/wiki/web3) product design are considered highly relevant to this initiative. [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-nApCajbVRiUeDeX8) [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-K5ybiRuLu3mnTrZt) [\\[5\\]](#cite-id-0thzcMVxs2wl724c)\n\nThe X Money platform is intended to be a central hub for financial transactions. At the time of Taylor's hiring, it was in internal beta with a public launch targeted for April 2026. Planned features include peer-to-peer fiat payments, high-yield savings, and crypto integration using \"smart cashtags,\" which are expected to allow users to trade stocks and crypto from the X timeline. X has clarified that it does not intend to handle trade execution itself, but will provide the financial data tools and links for these services. X product lead [Nikita Bier](https://iq.wiki/wiki/nikita-bier), who actively pushed to hire Taylor, stated that \"the goal is to build the greatest design team in the industry\" and added, \"I genuinely want crypto to proliferate on X.\" [\\[5\\]](#cite-id-0thzcMVxs2wl724c) [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-nApCajbVRiUeDeX8) [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-n4O4hZy4KJFDa9Pf)\n\n## Other Ventures and Projects\n\nIn addition to his primary career roles, Taylor has been involved in creating tools for the design community. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-VIGJTe46kDn5pyLu)\n\n### Dip\n\nTaylor is the co-founder of Dip, a project that creates and publishes open-source tools for interface design. Notable tools released under Dip include:\n\n* `cmdk`: A command menu component for the React programming library.\n* `Agentation`: A tool or framework related to the integration of AI agents into interface design, a topic Taylor has explored in his writings. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-VIGJTe46kDn5pyLu)","summary":"Benji Taylor is a UK-born designer and entrepreneur. He founded Los Feliz Engineering, which was acquired by Aave Labs, served as CPO at Aave and Head of Design...","images":[{"id":"QmZ1UMUqNdYircsV5629bDimGavWqQoAXJAfGznt89yRVL","type":"image/jpeg, image/png"}],"categories":[{"id":"people","title":"People in crypto"}],"tags":[{"id":"Founders"},{"id":"Developers"},{"id":"PeopleInDeFi"}],"media":[{"id":"QmRHK3F5nNDMdJSmk4UZJR9bqa37XhYwUiqVRLCs3Y7E6d","size":null,"name":null,"type":"GALLERY","source":"IPFS_IMG"},{"id":"QmNLkoJDevkgswJXcVkZTw4ARtd4B8rrysKy3PmG97gUi2","size":null,"name":null,"type":"GALLERY","source":"IPFS_IMG"},{"id":"QmQkuotpMu8nkEVz2hs1VtGxx6eUsFubm2pLa7LBhSPFcs","size":null,"name":null,"type":"GALLERY","source":"IPFS_IMG"},{"id":"QmSje7BDS9nXQve8L5Z4hTxaWc7BJS3dWJrNhQC6mVPGrw","size":null,"name":null,"type":"GALLERY","source":"IPFS_IMG"}],"metadata":[{"id":"twitter_profile","value":"https://x.com/benjitaylor"},{"id":"website","value":"https://benji.org/"},{"id":"email_url","value":"mailto:benji@benji.org"},{"id":"references","value":"[{\"id\":\"VIGJTe46kDn5pyLu\",\"url\":\"https://benji.org/\",\"description\":\"Benji Taylor's personal website\",\"timestamp\":1774476720034},{\"id\":\"nApCajbVRiUeDeX8\",\"url\":\"https://www.coindesk.com/business/2026/03/25/elon-musk-s-x-hires-crypto-savvy-design-lead-as-x-money-payments-push-inches-closer\",\"description\":\"CoinDesk report on Benji Taylor joining X\",\"timestamp\":1774476720034},{\"id\":\"K5ybiRuLu3mnTrZt\",\"url\":\"https://phemex.com/news/article/benji-taylor-joins-x-for-design-role-collaborates-with-elon-musk-69052\",\"description\":\"Phemex summary of Taylor's professional history\",\"timestamp\":1774476720034},{\"id\":\"n4O4hZy4KJFDa9Pf\",\"url\":\"https://en.bloomingbit.io/feed/news/108639\",\"description\":\"Article on the acquisition of Los Feliz Engineering\",\"timestamp\":1774476720034},{\"id\":\"0thzcMVxs2wl724c\",\"url\":\"https://www.theblock.co/post/395222/elon-musk-taps-benji-taylor\",\"description\":\"The Block report on Taylor's hiring at X\",\"timestamp\":1774654532087}]"},{"id":"previous_cid","value":"\"https://ipfs.everipedia.org/ipfs/QmaUBEFE3DUa6fo8peTJqZvd89QpsNoJ15mfhWSpCn437i\""},{"id":"commit-message","value":"\"Updated content and category title\""},{"id":"previous_cid","value":"QmaUBEFE3DUa6fo8peTJqZvd89QpsNoJ15mfhWSpCn437i"}],"events":[{"date":"2023-09-01","title":"Became CPO at Aave Labs","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Joined Aave Labs as Chief Product Officer in September 2023 after the company acquired his firm, Los Feliz Engineering, the creator of the 'Family' self-custody wallet.","link":"https://www.coindesk.com/business/2026/03/25/elon-musk-s-x-hires-crypto-savvy-design-lead-as-x-money-payments-push-inches-closer","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null,"id":"aa6036ce-4b4f-4e12-b24c-f4c184d1a9bb"},{"date":"2025-10-01","title":"Departed from Aave Labs","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Left his role as Chief Product Officer at Aave Labs in October 2025 after an approximate two-year tenure.","link":"https://benji.org/","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null,"id":"557a1c09-a226-4617-a745-49a9617792f1"},{"date":"2025-11-01","title":"Served as Head of Design at Base","type":"DEFAULT","description":"After his tenure at Aave Labs, Taylor served as the Head of Design for Base, an Ethereum Layer 2 network developed by Coinbase.","link":"https://en.bloomingbit.io/feed/news/108639","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null,"id":"b4d6656a-81dc-424a-9dc0-84f0534c36e3"},{"date":"2026-03-01","title":"Hired as Design Lead at X","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Joined X (formerly Twitter) in March 2026 as Design Lead, working on the platform's payment initiatives and overseeing design across X, xAI, and SpaceX.","link":"https://www.coindesk.com/business/2026/03/25/elon-musk-s-x-hires-crypto-savvy-design-lead-as-x-money-payments-push-inches-closer","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null,"id":"9f07e0a4-fa83-4e18-9733-7dc237b398ba"}],"user":{"id":"0x8af7a19a26d8fbc48defb35aefb15ec8c407f889"},"author":{"id":"0x8AF7a19a26d8FBC48dEfB35AEfb15Ec8c407f889"},"operator":{"id":"0x1E23b34d3106F0C1c74D17f2Cd0F65cdb039b138"},"language":"en","version":1,"linkedWikis":{"blockchains":[],"founders":[],"speakers":[]},"recentActivity":"{\"items\":[{\"id\":\"2be05a94-4e1b-4cdf-9d36-0d52d80b207d\",\"title\":\"Benji Taylor\",\"description\":\"Benji Taylor is a UK-born designer and entrepreneur. 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