NFT sales jump to $129M, OpenSea layoffs and Elon Musk slams NFTs: Nifty Newsletter

In this week’s newsletter, we dive into the dynamic world of nonfungible tokens (NFTs) and their impact on the digital landscape, as NFT sales have skyrocketed to an impressive $129 million in November, according to data from Nansen. Despite the surge in sales, OpenSea has laid off a substantial amount of staff as it prepares to launch version 2.0 of its platform, and Elon Musk unintentionally made a case for Bitcoin Ordinals. Meanwhile, an OpenSea investor has taken a 90% markdown on their stake in the platform, and don’t forget this week’s Nifty News featuring The Simpsons roasting NFTs.

NFT sales volume jumps to $129 million in November — Nansen data

NFTs have seen a large increase in weekly sales volume, with sales reaching 29,704 Ether (ETH), worth approximately $56 million, and later surging to 68,342 ETH (over $129 million) in a matter of weeks.

NFT marketplace Blur had the highest trading volume in the last 30 days, with 161,433 ETH, which is worth around $305 million, followed by OpenSea with 52,307 ETH, which is around $100 million. When it comes to NFT collections, Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) had the highest trading volume in the last 30 days, at 35,226 ETH, which is approximately $66.7 million.

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OpenSea lays off 50% of staff with severance in preparation for version 2.0 launch

OpenSea announced on Nov. 3 that it was laying off employees as part of its plan to launch OpenSea 2.0 with a smaller team. The company has previously laid off 20% of its employees in July 2022 due to the “crypto winter.” At that time, it had a staff of 230.

According to the company, around 50% of employees would be affected across all functions. Those affected by the mass layoff would receive four-month severance packages, accelerated equity vesting, and six months of continued healthcare and mental healthcare.

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