Road to IPO: Coinbase's Power Struggles Jeff Roberts – Coindesk "Some people lead by loyalty and inspiration. Balaji [Srinivasan] leads by fear and by money," says Nathalie McGrath who, as Coinbase's VP of People, watched as infighting engulfed the company. Balaji's style as he led the charge for a non-corporate vision of crypto was abrasive but effective. For someone who by all accounts did not work well with others, [Coinbase's former CTO] was remarkably good at office politics. Anyone in his way got edged aside with alacrity. Balaji either fired them outright or, through back-office maneuvering, stripped them of influence until, totally demoralized, they quit on their own accord. bit.ly/2WBL1QF