Sandeep Nailwal Takes Over as CEO of the Polygon Foundation, Promises to Scrap Some Projects and Focus Tightly on Others

The POL price is gaining attention in the crypto market as Sandeep Nailwal steps in as the CEO of the Polygon Foundation.

Sandeep Nailwal, the largest holder of POL and one of the original co-founders of Polygon, has officially taken over as CEO of the Polygon Foundation.

As reported, he will be directly controlling the foundation, which oversees Polygon Labs and other arms of the ecosystem.

Coming via his personal X handle, Nailwal's remarks highlight a shift in strategy, with plans to scrap some projects and focus tightly on others.

Investors are watching closely to see how this move will impact the price and future of POL.

Sandeep Nailwal Takes Over at a Critical Time for Polygon

It is important to state clearly that Sandeep Nailwal is one of the original co-founders of Polygon and the largest holder of POL.

As revealed, he has officially taken over as CEO of the Polygon Foundation. He announced this through his personal X account.

This marks the first time he will be directly controlling the foundation, which oversees Polygon Labs and other arms of the ecosystem.

In his statement, Nailपाल's time for passive and incongruent involvement for the project is over.

He hinted that the current state of the digital asset ecosystem and internal changes at Polygon required a more active hand.

As a result, he said he will shut down the zkEVM project by 2026 and shift full attention to Polygon PoS and the Agglayer network.

This strategic focus aims to speed up transaction performance and target stablecoin payments and real-world assets.

He also shared updates about the Gigagas testnet, which has already launched and is targeting 1,000 transactions per second (TPS) by July.

Per the plan, future target is pegged at 5,000 TPS by September and 100,000 TPS further down the line.

Nailwal noted that Agglayer v0.3 will be released on June 30, though fast interoperability will only arrive by Q3. Airdrops are also being lined up for POL stakers.

This leadership change comes at a time when Polygon still hold a strong cash reserve and does not need external funding.

Nailwal believes this allows the network to move faster and create more value for holders.

Internal Shakeups Behind the Scenes

The Polygon co-founder’s decision to step in as CEO is also linked to several co-founder departures that have taken place over the past two years.

Jaynti Kanani and Anurag Arjun both left in 2023 to build other projects.

More recently, Mihailo Bjelic resigned from the foundation board in May 2025. He cited differences in vision as his main reason.

These exits have created tension and left a leadership gap, one that Nailwal is now stepping in to fill.

His comments suggest that the board structure slowed decision-making in the past. By taking a startup-like approach, he hopes to help Polygon adjust quickly to new market realities.

Adding to the backdrop is the broader crypto market upturn following Donald Trump’s election win in November 2024.

With Bitcoin hitting $109,000 and Ethereum trading around $2,700, there is fresh momentum across digital assets. Sandeep Nailwal sees this as a window for Polygon to re-establish itself.

POL Price Watch: Will the New Direction Deliver?

The POL price has become a focus again as the network’s leadership resets. As of writing, POL was trading at $0.2222 and it is currently down 0.47%.

With the U.S. SEC dropping its case against MATIC, confidence has returned among market makers, increasing liquidity across exchanges.

It is important to add that Nailwal’s roadmap could lift the token if progress is made quickly.

The main goals include improving TPS, launching Agglayer updates, and delivering on the promise of airdrops for long-term holders.

For now, all eyes are now on the June 30 release of Agglayer v0.3.

It will be a key test of whether this reset under Nailwal’s leadership can spark the breakout investors hope for in the POL price.