Sandeep Nailwal Takes the Helm as Polygon CEO, Outlining Bold New Direction

On June 11, Sandeep Nailwal, the largest holder of POL and co-founder of Polygon, took on the role of Polygon CEO.

On June 11, Sandeep Nailwal, the largest holder of POL and co-founder, assumed the role of Polygon CEO following Mihailo Bjelic’s exit in May. As the sole remaining active founder, Nailwal took full control of the Polygon Foundation. In a detailed statement, he announced a reset of the strategic direction, adding that "Polygon needs clear direction and focused execution."

The shift in leadership comes amid a strong treasury with several hundred million dollars in reserves and regulatory relief as the SEC dropped its investigation into MATIC. Upcoming rollouts include AggLayer v0.3, major upgrades to Polygon PoS, and a rebranding push aligning the entire ecosystem under the Polygon identity.

After leadership changes and a shift in strategy, the Polygon Foundation is now operating under the direct founder control. The founders had previously agreed on a consensus-based structure for making collective decisions. However, following Bjelic’s departure, Nailwal highlighted the need for swift action and decisive leadership.

"At our beginnings, Polygon was all about bold execution and big goals. We moved fast and broke things. We had no choice but to be efficient and productive with the limited resources available. But as the project grew larger, we transitioned to a different stage, focused on adapting to an ever-changing environment and building a decentralized autonomous organization," explained Nailwal.

He further stated, "Crypto has changed from being research-centric to user-centric. We are now in a new bull market with a smaller opportunity window. Polygon must evolve too."

Polygon Labs will continue operations under Marc Boiron, whom Nailwal called "the best executive in the crypto industry." Mudit Gupta and Ryan will continue as CTO and COO, respectively, leading engineering and operations.

The initiative to sunset the zkEVM mainnet beta by 2026 will continue, focusing sharply on Polygon PoS and AggLayer. Described by Nailwal as "the trustless internet of blockchains," AggLayer v0.3 will be rolled out in the week of June 30.

The AggLayer Breakout Program will expand, spinning off ZK research initiatives like Polygon ZisK. Jordi Baylina will lead ZisK, aiming to create stronger value for POL token stakers through targeted airdrops and focused product execution.

Polygon PoS enters its "Gigagas" roadmap phase, with the testnet supporting over 1,000 transactions per second (TPS). The devnet has already reached over 5,000 TPS, and the roadmap targets 100,000 TPS in the coming years. A mainnet upgrade with under one-second finality and zero reorgs is expected by September.

"These upgrades massively increase the economic viability of the Polygon protocol. We will be able to process an average of 1,000 TPS on mainnet, with peaks exceeding 5,000 TPS. Our goal is to reach 100,000 TPS in the next few years," added the CEO.

The strategic realignment aims to ensure efficient scaling, enhance performance, and promote sustainable long-term value creation.

The SEC recently dropped its investigations into MATIC’s security status, which Polygon CEO Sandeep Nailwal feels "should have never existed given the nature of MATIC, and now POL."

Following the regulatory clearance, several top-tier market makers have returned, boosting POL’s exchange liquidity. To assist token holders, the Foundation will begin educational campaigns to support the MATIC-to-POL transition. These campaigns aim to inform stakeholders, users, and developers of the ongoing token migration.

Increased liquidity across decentralized and centralized exchanges forms a crucial part of the Foundation’s strategy under Nailwal’s leadership. The CEO’s goal includes strengthening POL’s utility and ensuring vibrant market participation.

The previously neutral AggLayer brand will now carry the Polygon name. According to Nailwal, the change aligns the ecosystem more clearly.

"It’s time to drop the neutral brand and fully align the ecosystem under the Polygon identity. We will no longer be announcing new products or initiatives under a neutral brand. Instead, all future announcements will be made through my personal account as we launch the next chapter of Polygon," he added.

After May's leadership transition and a period of consensus governance, the Polygon Foundation will be operating under founder-direct control. The founders previously agreed on a consensus-based structure for the Foundation, but following Bjelic's departure, Nailwal highlighted the need for swift action and decisive leadership.

"We are now in a new bull market with a smaller opportunity window. We need to move fast and be focused. We can't afford to be slow or indecisive. We have a lot of work to do if we want to achieve our goals," said Nailwal.

This move also signals a shift away from the institutional board structures towards leadership focused on startup-stage execution.

"We are keeping Marc Boiron