1inch co-founder Anton Bukov has publicly confirmed that he was fired from the decentralized exchange aggregator in late November 2025. The news, shared via a statement on X, comes alongside the announcement of his new venture, Second Tier, a decentralized finance (DeFi) infrastructure platform.
Bukov detailed that his dismissal came after he attempted to assume a larger role in operational management, prompted by user and team feedback. "In late November 2025 I was fired," he wrote. He emphasized that he retains his status as a co-founder and a 50% shareholder but no longer has any oversight of product architecture, operations, or security.
In response, the 1inch team confirmed that Bukov has not been actively involved in any associated organizations since December 2025 and reassured users that the network’s operations, infrastructure, and smart contracts remain unaffected. Co-founder Sergej Kunz, who now leads the project, stated that the departure "is not disrupting, will not disrupt, 1inch Network’s infrastructure or systems."
The split follows a period of heightened security scrutiny for 1inch. In March 2025, a vulnerability in an old Fusion V1 contract resulted in roughly $5 million in losses, partially recovered after negotiations. Earlier, in December 2024, a private key leak occurred in a binding contract. The project’s management has formally separated those incidents from Bukov's departure.
Bukov, who co-founded 1inch in 2019, said his responsibilities ranged from economic design to key tools like the 1inch Router and Fusion system. His new project, Second Tier, is described as a financial infrastructure platform aimed at improving efficiency and security in crypto. Details on its products, funding, and launch timeline remain scarce.
