Dan Finlay

Co-founderCo-Founder of MetaMask; former Consensys/MetaMask builder

MetaMask / Consensys (historical operating role)

USA· Former

About Dan Finlay

Dan Finlay is a Co-Founder of MetaMask, one of Ethereum's most widely used self-custody browser wallets. Together with Aaron Davis, Finlay created MetaMask while both were working in JavaScript open-source communities, having met through VoxelJS and earlier collaboration at Mochaleaf and Apple. MetaMask launched in July 2016 and gave Ethereum users a way to interact with decentralized applications directly from their browser without running a full node.

Finlay spent more than a decade building MetaMask and contributing to wallet UX, Ethereum provider standards, account-permission APIs and the broader web3 developer experience. He was a vocal advocate for user sovereignty, privacy and self-custody as core principles of the Ethereum wallet ecosystem.

In April 2026, Finlay publicly announced his resignation from Consensys, citing burnout after over ten years of building MetaMask. His Consensys employment is therefore historical; his co-founder identity and contributions to MetaMask's architecture remain part of the wallet's permanent record. MetaMask continues to evolve under its current team. Information last checked: August 2026.

Projects Founded

MetaMask

Career Timeline

Pre-2016

Worked at Mochaleaf and Apple; collaborated with Aaron Davis through VoxelJS open-source project.

2016

Co-founded MetaMask with Aaron Davis; MetaMask browser extension launched in July 2016, enabling Ethereum dApp interactions from the browser.

2017–2020

MetaMask integrated with Consensys; Finlay led product and engineering contributions to wallet UX, permissions and Ethereum provider standards.

2021–2023

MetaMask expanded to mobile app, swaps, multi-chain and institutional infrastructure; Finlay continued as a core contributor.

April 2026

Publicly announced resignation from Consensys after more than ten years building MetaMask, citing burnout; departed company.

Key Contributions

MetaMask Co-Creation

Co-founded MetaMask with Aaron Davis, creating the browser wallet that became one of Ethereum's primary user interfaces for self-custody and dApp interaction.

Wallet UX & Permission Standards

Contributed to MetaMask's user experience model, transaction-permission system and Ethereum provider API standards that influence how wallets interact with dApps.

ERC-7710 Account Permissions

Contributed to account delegation and permission standards including work referenced in ERC-7710, enabling fine-grained wallet access control for dApps and agents.