Movement Labs Fires CEO, Rebrands as Move Industries After $2.5B MOVE Token Crash

Key Takeaways:

• Movement Labs has terminated CEO and co-founder Rushi Manche following allegations of market manipulation involving the MOVE token.
• Binance suspended its planned MOVE airdrop and Coinbase halted trading of the token amid mounting controversy.
• Movement Labs has rebranded as Move Industries, introduced a new leadership team, and plans tech upgrades to rebuild trust.

Movement Labs, a layer-2 blockchain project behind the MOVE token, is undergoing a major overhaul after a market manipulation scandal wiped out billions in market value. The company has rebranded as Move Industries, dismissed its CEO, and announced leadership changes as it works to regain community trust.

On April 30, allegations surfaced that Movement Labs had granted 66 million MOVE tokens to a firm named Rentech—an entity with minimal digital presence and alleged ties to both the Movement Foundation and Web3Port. This agreement let Rentech sell the tokens almost after debut, which caused a $38 million sell-off and a significant drop in MOVE’s price.

Read More: Binance HODLer Airdrop launches Movement: Here’s How to Participate

The MOVE token fell from a high of $1.45 to about $0.16 as word of the transaction circulated, so destroying more than $2.5 billion in market value. Citing worries over transparency and market manipulation, Coinbase said it would halt MOVE token trading beginning May 15.

Movement Labs moved quickly to contain the damage. On April 28, the company suspended CEO Rushi Manche. Two days later, Manche was formally terminated, and Movement Labs announced the start of a new era under different leadership.

Read More: Binance Cracks Down on Market Manipulation, Bans “Movement” (MOVE) Project Market Maker

In an effort to reset its public image and strategic direction, Movement Labs announced on April 29 that it had rebranded as Move Industries. The rebrand marks a significant shift following the collapse of MOVE’s value and the fallout from the leadership scandal.

The company introduced Torab as the new CEO and Vibe Sommalier as President and CMO. The new team has pledged to implement a more transparent and robust governance model, as well as key technical upgrades to the Movement Network.

In a post shared via X (formerly Twitter), the new leadership stated that the project is moving “from hype to action.” Among the initiatives mentioned are Parthenon, a forthcoming technical upgrade, and MoveDrop, a planned new distribution campaign designed to revitalize the community.

The MOVE token debuted in December 2024 with significant hype and strong market performance. Within weeks, it reached a market cap of $3 billion, driven by investor enthusiasm and anticipation of ecosystem development.

But following the token dump linked to Rentech and the internal scandal, MOVE’s market cap plummeted to $496 million by May 2025. The token’s value now sits at $0.16, down more than 84% from its all-time high.

Investors and analysts have pointed to the lack of internal controls and conflicts of interest as central to the collapse. Rentech’s dual role as both a market participant and representative of the Movement Foundation raised serious concerns about self-dealing and market manipulation.

Move Industries has launched a token buyback program aimed at stabilizing MOVE’s price and reassuring investors. At the same time, it continues an internal investigation to determine the full extent of accountability within the original leadership team.

Reactions from the sector have been varied. Some view the rebranding and change in leadership as a move forward; others are warier. MOVE’s market mood is still weak and confidence in the initiative has not yet completely restored.

The situation has turned into a cautionary story in the cryptocurrency sector stressing the need of openness, compliance, and strong governance systems in early-stage blockchain initiatives.

More updates on the governance overhaul, including new policies and safeguards, are expected from Move Industries in the coming weeks.

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