Sandeep Nailwal has officially assumed the role of CEO of the Polygon Foundation, marking a significant leadership restructuring aimed at maximizing ecosystem value. Following the May departure of co-founder Mihailo Bjelic and the exit of co-founder Jordi Baylina to lead a new project called ZisK, Nailwal now leads the Foundation with a focus on decisive founder-led direction rather than consensus governance.
The strategic pivot under Nailwal emphasizes enhanced interoperability between Polygon's Proof-of-Stake (PoS) chain and AggLayer, a newly rebranded Polygon-centric layer described as "the trustless internet of blockchains." The zkEVM mainnet beta project will be sunset by 2026 to concentrate resources on these core products. AggLayer version 0.3 is scheduled to launch around June 30, while the Polygon PoS chain continues advancing through its "Gigagas" roadmap aiming for an ambitious 100,000 transactions per second (TPS) with a mainnet upgrade expected by September that targets sub-second finality and zero reorganizations.
Nailwal, the largest POL token holder, underscores a shift away from research-oriented development to a user-centric approach driven by fast execution and bold goals. The recent drop of SEC’s investigation into MATIC has brought regulatory clarity, prompting the return of top-tier market makers and improving liquidity for POL across exchanges. Educational initiatives will assist stakeholders in transitioning tokens from MATIC to POL, supporting liquidity and market participation.
Leadership at Polygon Labs remains with Marc Boiron as executive lead, Mudit Gupta as CTO, and Ryan as COO, who will continue operational and engineering efforts, complementing Nailwal’s strategic vision.
The Foundation’s rebranding aligns all components under the Polygon identity to strengthen market presence and ecosystem cohesion. Nailwal's leadership is expected to usher in an era of rapid innovation, enhanced market alignment, and sustainable long-term value creation for POL stakers and users alike.