Yana Prikhodchenko leaves Cointelegraph after nearly five years to lead Phase, a Layer 1 blockchain for autonomous AI agents, backed by $45 million from founder Kirill Eves.
Yana Prikhodchenko, who led Cointelegraph for almost five years, announced on November 11, 2026 that she is stepping down as CEO to co‑found and head Phase, a blockchain platform designed to support autonomous AI agents. The move follows a period of contraction in crypto media, with several outlets cutting staff or shutting down newsrooms, and reflects Prikhodchenko’s shift toward the rapidly evolving AI‑agent economy.
Phase aims to provide the operating layer for AI agents, offering services that let agents browse the open web, orchestrate multiple AI models, run compute‑intensive tasks, and settle payments autonomously. The platform runs on its own Layer 1 blockchain, secured by a decentralized network of everyday devices that earn PHASE tokens for validating blocks. According to NewsBTC, the project received a $45 million funding commitment from its founder, Kirill Eves, who also launched the company’s October 29 mainnet.
In her new capacity, Prikhodchenko will oversee strategy, global expansion, and commercial development, working alongside Eves. She brings more than a decade of senior leadership experience in banking and insurance, including a stint at Allianz, as well as five years of building Cointelegraph into a diversified media group with over 200 staff. In an interview with BeInCrypto, she emphasized that the AI‑agent infrastructure “was not built for autonomous systems” and that Phase is intended to fill that gap.
Phase’s architecture includes four integrated services: Phase Proxy (enabling agents to access sites that block automated traffic), Phase Router (optimizing model selection and cost), Phase Compute (leveraging device‑side processing power), and on‑chain settlement using stablecoins and the native PHASE token. Deposits are made via USDT from Ethereum, Base, or three other chains and are converted to a bridged token, USDT.e, which currently can only be spent within the Phase ecosystem. The bridge caps single deposits at 1,000 USDT and total daily credits at 10,000 USDT, with larger amounts queued for the next window. BeInCrypto highlighted that liability for erroneous agent payments remains unclear, as the system ties transactions to wallet addresses rather than identified customers.
Observers will monitor Phase’s rollout of withdrawal functionality for USDT.e, the market listing and valuation of the PHASE token, and any regulatory scrutiny regarding the liability model for autonomous AI payments. Additionally, the impact of Prikhodchenko’s leadership on Phase’s partnership strategy and developer adoption will be a key indicator of the platform’s growth trajectory.
Phase’s mainnet launched on October 29, 2026.
Agents deposit USDT from supported chains, which is bridged to USDT.e and used for on‑chain payments within the Phase network.
The project is backed by a $45 million commitment from founder Kirill Eves.
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