Polygon's Co-Founder Jaynti Kanani Steps Down
Jaynti Kanani, founded Matic network, now Polygon, a leading blockchain scalability solution. However, he recently announced his departure from Polygon.
Jaynti Kanani, along with other talented software engineers like Sandeep Nailwal, Anurag Arjun, and Mihailo Bjelic, laid the foundation for what was initially known as the Matic network in 2017. This project, which later underwent a rebranding to become Polygon, has been at the forefront of blockchain scalability solutions. Kanani's announcement on Oct. 4, shared via an X (formerly Twitter) thread, highlighted his intention to embark on "new adventures" while still supporting Polygon, albeit "from the sidelines."
After kickstarting Polygon in 2017, around 6 months back, I decided to step back from the day-to-day grind.
I'm more confident in Polygon's bright future and passionate community. I'll be focusing on new adventures while still cheering and contributing to Polygon from the… — Jaynti Kanani (JD) (@jdkanani) October 4, 2023
Sandeep Nailwal, in response to Kanani's announcement, expressed his emotions, stating:
"What a ride we've had together brother. But its just the start for Polygon, i wish we could've done more for longer together in this crazy journey that is Polygon. But hey, you got to do what you got to do."
Kanani's decision came after he had already taken a step back from the daily grind of Polygon around six months prior. Despite his reduced involvement, he remains optimistic about Polygon's future and its passionate community. His tweet hinted at his continued support and contributions to the platform, even if they might be from a distance.
Polygon's official website mentions ten co-founders, with several of them still actively participating in various side projects associated with the platform. Notably, Anurag Arjun left Polygon in March, following the spin-off of the blockchain data availability protocol, Avail.
Polygon's evolution doesn't stop with its leadership changes. Polygon Labs has started accepting improvement proposals, signaling a transition towards Polygon 2.0. This initiative, announced in June, aims to revamp the network using zero-knowledge proofs. The new ecosystem is designed with four protocol layers, each focusing on staking, interop, execution, and proving. As of now, developers are diligently working on “bringing Polygon 2.0 to life”.
