Sandeep Nailwal, a foundational figure behind Polygon’s rise to one of Ethereum’s most prominent scaling solutions, has made a decisive move to take full control of the Polygon Foundation as CEO. While he had previously avoided this formal role to maintain a governance-first approach, the current market conditions and strategic needs of the project have compelled him to step in.

Marc Boiron, CEO of Polygon Labs

The Polygon Foundation, which oversees multiple entities including Polygon Labs, will continue to see Marc Boiron serve as CEO of Polygon Labs. Nailwal praised Boiron as “the best executive in the entire crypto industry,” affirming that the Labs division will maintain its strong leadership. This division of responsibilities suggests a balance between execution and vision, with Nailwal driving foundational strategy and Boiron ensuring operational excellence.

zkEVM Sunset and Focus on PoS & Agglayer

In a major product shift, Nailwal revealed that Polygon zkEVM will be deprecated in 2026. The decision underscores Polygon’s desire to consolidate its engineering resources and focus on its core offerings:

• Polygon PoS (Proof-of-Stake) will now centre on Stablecoin payments and Real-World Assets (RWAs).

• Agglayer will evolve into the flagship architecture for building a trustless Internet of Blockchains.

This streamlining is not merely a cost-cutting measure but a bold strategic refocus. Nailwal believes that doubling down on the PoS chain and Agglayer will allow Polygon to capture the next wave of blockchain users through both enterprise and developer-friendly infrastructure.

BIG update – As the largest holder of POL and someone who dedicated his life to development and success of @0xPolygon from the very beginning, I have decided to take full control of Polygon Foundation and will be its CEO going forward. Polygon Foundation owns and oversees…

— Sandeep | Polygon (※,※) (@sandeepnailwal) June 11, 2025

The decision also represents a subtle shift in the ZK narrative. While ZK (zero-knowledge) technology remains critical, it will now be pursued in a more neutral, spin-off format, such as the upcoming Polygon ZisK initiative led by Jordi Baylina. This modular strategy frees the core Polygon brand to focus on its primary use cases while allowing parallel innovation to continue independently.

Gigagas Roadmap and TPS Explosion

Polygon PoS is on the brink of a massive performance upgrade. The Gigagas roadmap, now live on testnet, promises to deliver over 1,000 transactions per second (TPS) by early July, with targets of <1 second finality and zero reorgs already achieved in devnet. Future upgrades aim to push scalability even further, reaching 100,000+ TPS in the coming years.

These performance boosts will make Polygon one of the fastest and most cost-effective blockchains available, enhancing the protocol’s economic viability and, consequently, the value proposition for POL stakers.

Additionally, the Agglayer v0.3 rollout, scheduled for the week of June 30, marks a significant step forward. Although fast interoperability remains in development until Q3, the current release is already considered feature complete, reflecting the aggressive shipping mindset Nailwal champions.

Staker-Centric Economics, Regulatory Clarity, and Brand Realignment

Polygon is pivoting towards a user-centric and staker aligned model. Several initiatives have been introduced to enhance value for POL holders:

• Agglayer Breakout Program: Designed to spin off new projects and drop massive airdrops to POL stakers. Nailwal reaffirmed Polygon’s mission to build sovereign blockchain networks using ZK as a tool, not a distraction.

• Market Maker Resurgence: With the SEC dropping its investigation into MATIC, market makers are returning to support POL. This paves the way for stronger liquidity across global exchanges.

• MATIC-to-POL Transition Awareness: The Foundation will launch educational campaigns to promote the token upgrade and ensure the community is aligned on next steps.

Finally, the Polygon brand will be brought front and centre, replacing the neutral “Agglayer” branding. This move is meant to unify the identity across the ecosystem and make it clear that all major innovations and products come under the Polygon umbrella.

Back to Startup Mode, Eyes on the Future

Sandeep Nailwal’s candid explanation of Polygon’s repositioning is steeped in honesty and ambition. According to him, the Ethereum ecosystem’s recent existential re-evaluation has brought Polygon “back from 10 to 100 stage to 0 to 1,” demanding startup speed, bold decision making, and deep user empathy.

Polygon’s institutional era experiments have given way to a leaner, more focused, and staker first structure. With a healthy treasury, a talented leadership bench, and renewed conviction, Polygon is ready to redefine blockchain scalability and utility once again.

The coming months will be crucial, with the launch of Agglayer 0.3, PoS upgrades, and a clearer market identity. For stakeholders, builders, and believers the message is clear: Polygon is back in building mode, and it’s time to bring it.