https://techcrunch.com/2022/03/15/aptos-labs-a16z-multicoin-facebook-diem-blockchain/

Facebook’s audacious attempt at creating a crypto payments network met an unceremonious end earlier this year when Silvergate Capital acquired the Diem technology assets for $182 million. The deal showcased how Facebook, now Meta, is left with few regulator-blessed paths forward to become a central player in the blockchain ecosystem, a realization which has also cost the company plenty of talent including crypto boss David Marcus.

Some ex-Meta employees are beginning to take up the mantle of the open source Diem blockchain in an effort to realize the vision of a decentralized network that they say is built to serve billions of users and is designed to cater to large corporate customers early-on. One such effort, called Aptos — led by ex-Meta employees who only departed the company in December — has already banked unicorn funding from Andreessen Horowitz and scores of other top web3 investors.