Former Hack VC Partner Found Dead
Hsin-Ju Chuang was found dead one day after she posted about intimidation from her former workplace.

It's Wednesday, September 23, 2026.
A former Hack VC partner was found dead one day after sharing plans to publish evidence about her time at the firm.
Former Hack VC Partner Found Dead
Hsin-Ju Chuang, a co-founder of DystopiaLabs and former Hack VC partner, was found dead on August 24, 2026, alongside Interstate 15 in Harvard, California. The San Bernardino County's public death register listed the manner of death as suicide, however, a report on cause of death from the coroner is pending.
In an August 23 post on X, she said she had rejected a proposed settlement that would have required her to remain silent about threats and intimidation from her former workplace Hack VC. She announced plans to publish evidence on August 26 about her time at the firm. She stated that Hack VC threatened to blacklist her when she sought to depart the firm during a medical emergency, and that the firm mishandled her COBRA health coverage. She also wrote that she had attempted suicide.
Hack VC co-founder Alexander Pack said the firm was shocked and saddened and had not spoken directly with her for more than 10 months. Colleagues and community members described her as an enthusiastic community builder, known for organizing events and supporting early-stage projects. DystopiaLabs hosted hundreds of events throughout crypto events globally.
The timing of Chuang’s August 23 post and her death the following day has drawn attention. A separate historical case is the 2022 death of former MakerDAO co-founder Nikolai Mushegian, 29, who was found dead at a Costa Rica beach hours after posting a tweet expressing fear he would be tortured.
Linea Coordinator Supports RISC-V
Linea released Coordinator v1.2.0, introducing native support for RISC-V-based L2 execution proofs through two new components: ExecutionProofGeneratingCoordinator and L2ExecutionRequestBuilderImpl. The update also adds support for custom transaction signers, giving node operators greater flexibility in key management. The changes advance Linea's proving pipeline toward a more modular and verifiable execution architecture, a meaningful step for the zkEVM L2's long-term decentralization.
The Linea Coordinator is the orchestration service in Linea’s zkEVM stack (now also called Lineth). It sits between the sequencer, tracer, state manager, prover, and Ethereum L1. It does not execute user transactions itself. But it decides when batches and proofs should be built and then drives that pipeline.
Misc News
Geth releases v1.17.6. Potential hash function options for PQ Ethereum. Trust Wallet runs a USDG rewards promo. And Variational plans its $VAR airdrop for Q4 2026.
Disclaimer: Content is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, legal, or other professional advice. No representations or warranties are made as to accuracy, completeness, or timeliness. Use of this content is at your own risk, and you should consult a qualified professional before making decisions. No fiduciary or advisory relationship is created.



