Andre Cronje leaves Sonic board as token slump sparks overhaul

Sonic Labs has announced a leadership overhaul after the S token extended its long-running decline, with former chief technology officer Andre Cronje joining two other senior figures in stepping down from the organization’s board.

According to Sonic Labs, Andre Cronje, former Fantom Foundation chief executive Michael Kong, and executive chairman David Richardson have resigned from the board as the company restructures its governance and executive leadership.

The announcement coincided with another day of losses for the Sonic (S), which traded near $0.029 after falling about 5% over the past 24 hours.

In a separate statement, Cronje addressed criticism from community members and argued that responsibility should rest with the individuals who directly oversaw specific decisions.

While accepting accountability for the technology and technical decisions he led, he said he was not responsible for decisions involving the network migration, airdrop structure, tokenomics, or management of the legacy network.

“I stand behind the technology and technical decisions I led. I was not the author or decision owner of the migration, airdrop, tokenomics, or legacy-network decisions described above.”

Sonic Labs described the resignations as part of an orderly transition.

“These are the people who built what Sonic is today. They remain invested in Sonic’s success and are handing off their responsibilities the right way, in full. From here, they will no longer make business decisions for the organization.”

Sonic Labs has appointed Matt Visser as its new CEO and Kosta Kourkoumelis as chief operating officer as part of the transition.

Sonic Labs acknowledged that both the token’s performance and community sentiment have deteriorated. In a statement, the company said it was not attempting to downplay those challenges, stating that “the token is down” and that community sentiment has weakened.

As per data from crypto.news, the S token has fallen roughly 97% since launching in January 2025 as part of the network’s migration from Fantom to Sonic.

Why is Sonic changing its leadership structure?

Facing criticism from community members and investors, Sonic Labs said the management changes are tied to a new governance framework designed to improve accountability and communication.

Alongside the executive reshuffle, the company said it will introduce more transparent governance processes, provide clearer updates on development progress, and establish a dedicated risk and compliance committee. Sonic Labs stated that the departing board members helped build the network into its current form but will no longer participate in business decisions going forward.

Originally founded as the Fantom Foundation in 2018, the organization rebranded to Sonic Labs following a major network upgrade that replaced the Fantom Opera blockchain with the Sonic layer-1 network. The company says the blockchain can process up to 10,000 transactions per second while delivering sub-second transaction finality.

Earlier this year, Sonic Labs also expanded its ecosystem with the launch of USSD, a dollar-pegged stablecoin backed by tokenized U.S. Treasury assets. Announced in March, the stablecoin was introduced to support trading, lending, payments, and settlement activity across decentralized finance applications operating on the Sonic network.

What does the market signal about the S token?

Recent price action suggests traders remain cautious despite Sonic Labs’ efforts to restore confidence through governance and leadership changes.

Daily chart data shows the S token trading near $0.03 after breaking below the lower boundary of a bearish flag pattern that formed following a sharp June selloff. The formation emerged after the token dropped from roughly $0.049 to below $0.03, with a brief upward consolidation creating the flag before sellers regained control.

Momentum indicators continue to favor bears. The Relative Strength Index has slipped to around 34, remaining below the neutral 50 level and pointing to weak buying demand. Meanwhile, the MACD remains below the zero line despite a recent bullish crossover attempt, indicating that the broader trend remains tilted to the downside.

Following the breakdown, the recent swing low near $0.028 has become the nearest support level. A move below that area could open the door to lower levels seen during the token’s post-launch decline. On the upside, former flag support near $0.032 has turned into resistance, while a recovery toward the $0.034-$0.035 range would be needed to challenge the current bearish structure.

While Sonic Labs works through its leadership transition, executive turnover has also affected other parts of the crypto industry. As reported by crypto.news, on Thursday, Ethereum Foundation co-executive director Hsiao-Wei Wang announced her departure, adding to a reported 19 layoffs and departures from the organization this year.