Facebook Denies Partnership with Crypto Firm Stellar
*By Alex Heath*
Facebook said Friday that it won’t partner with the crypto firm Stellar, despite a report that the two companies recently held talks.
“We are not engaged in any discussions with Stellar, and we are not considering building on their technology,” a Facebook spokesperson told Cheddar.
Business Insider [reported](https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-is-talking-to-cryptocurrency-stellar-about-making-a-big-move-into-crypto-2018-7) Friday that Facebook had discussed creating its own variant of the Stellar blockchain network. Stellar didn’t respond to Cheddar’s request for comment on the report.
Stellar’s cryptocurrency asset, called Lumens, is the sixth most valuable at around $4.3 billion. After the Business Insider report, the price of Lumens spiked by roughly 10 percent on Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange.
On Friday, before the Business Insider report, Facebook vice president David Marcus [stepped down from the board](https://www.coindesk.com/facebooks-david-marcus-steps-down-from-coinbases-board/) of the crypto exchange Coinbase citing a conflict of interest.
Earlier this year, Marcus was put in charge of forming a group of Facebook employees dedicated to developing blockchain technology, and [Cheddar reported](https://cheddar.com/videos/facebook-plans-to-create-its-own-cryptocurrency) that the group was exploring the creation of a Facebook cryptocurrency.
“Because of the new group I’m setting up at Facebook around blockchain, I’ve decided it was appropriate for me to resign from the Coinbase board,” Marcus said in a statement to Cheddar. “I’ve been thoroughly impressed by the talent and execution the team has demonstrated during my tenure, and I wish the team all the success it deserves going forward."
Much like all the upheaval shaking the world, the huge swings rocking Wall Street may feel far from normal. But, for investing at least, this is normal.
Joe Cecela, Dream Exchange CEO, explains how they are aiming to form the first minority-controlled company to operate an exchange in U.S. history. Watch!
A Michigan judge is putting sponges in the hands of shoplifters and ordering them to wash cars in a Walmart parking lot when spring weather arrives. Genesee County Judge Jeffrey Clothier hopes the unusual form of community service discourages people from stealing from Walmart. The judge also wants to reward shoppers with free car washes. Clothier says he began ordering “Walmart wash” sentences this week for shoplifting at the store in Grand Blanc Township. He believes 75 to 100 people eventually will be ordered to wash cars this spring. Clothier says he will be washing cars alongside them when the time comes.
