Benji Taylor joins to shape design as the platform expands into payments, savings, and crypto-linked financial tools.

Elon Musk has tapped crypto veteran Benji Taylor to lead design at X, adding fresh talent ahead of the platform’s push into finance. Taylor, who built DeFi and wallet-focused products, will oversee design work as X prepares new payment and trading features. Nikita Bier, X’s head of products, backed the move after praising Taylor’s past work.

Taylor Moves From Aave and Coinbase Ecosystem to Lead Platform Design

Taylor made this disclosure in a post, saying he wants to help shape X into a platform with global influence. He previously founded Los Feliz Engineering, the team behind the self-custody wallet Family. 

“I’m honoured to be joining X to lead design. I believe this is the most important platform in the world, and I can’t think of a more exciting place to help shape the future,” Taylor stated on X.

In 2023, Aave acquired the wallet developer, and Taylor later served as Aave’s chief product officer. After that, he moved to lead design for Coinbase’s Base Layer 2 network.

Elon Musk Pushes X Toward Financial Services With New Payments Platform

Bier said he invested in Taylor’s app about six years ago and called it among the best-designed products he had seen. After months of persuasion, Bier wrote, the two sides are now working together to build what he described as a top design team in the industry.

The hire aligns with X’s financial services expansion. Since last year, the social media app has been developing its own payments system, X Money, which runs in internal beta testing. Musk has indicated a limited outside rollout, with a public launch targeted for April 2026.

X Money aims to act as a hub for money movement, including peer-to-peer fiat payments and high-yield savings, while also tying in crypto through “smart cashtags.” Bier added that X plans to provide financial links and data tools, not execute trades or operate as a brokerage.