Bitcoin Daily: Ripple Mulls XRP Recruiting Bonuses; Facebook Hires Talent From Blockchain Startups

Ripple reportedly offered bonuses via its digital currency during its recruiting process, according to CoinDesk. One unnamed source was said to have provided the outlet with a 2018 email that indicated a package of XRP with a value as high as $3 million. According to “conversations with two prospective recruits,” bonuses could be between $1 million and $6 million. As it stands, the company is reportedly seeking over 12 technical experts and engineers. The price of XRP was about $.30 as of 5:33 p.m. (EST) on Monday (Feb. 11), according to CoinDesk.

In other news, tech companies are hiring employees from blockchain startups amid declines in the crypto market, CNBC reported. Facebook, for instance, was said to have hired Chainspace employees. The startup’s DECODE program was reportedly geared toward “giving people ownership of their personal data.” According to the report, two of the company’s founder are employees of Facebook per LinkedIn. RBC Internet Equity Researcher Zachary Schwartzman said his company believes the move was “an acqui-hire to expand Facebook’s internal crypto team’s expertise.”

On another note, malware reportedly masquerading as part of the MetaMask service was removed from the Google Play store after it was uncovered by ESET, CoinDesk reported. The firm claimed that the “clipper” malware can come across online digital-currency wallet addresses in the clipboard and supplant them with those that the attacker owns. The outlet reported that the company doesn’t have a mobile device app. In a tweet, MetaMask said, “We would appreciate if @GooglePlayDev would reserve trademarked names for apps, especially repeat phishing targets like us.”

A U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) commissioner, Hester Peirce, said that guidance is in the works for crypto projects, CoinDesk reported. According to report, Peirce said the agency was seeking to enable projects to decide “whether their crypto-fundraising efforts fall under the securities laws. The standard in the U.S. for the determination of securities is the Howey test. However, Peirce said offerings of tokens may not have the semblance of traditional securities, so it is necessary to “tread carefully.”