Jaynti Kanani posted on X on Oct. 4, 2023, that he had stepped back from running Polygon day to day about six months earlier. “After kickstarting Polygon in 2017, around 6 months back, I decided to step back from the day-to-day grind,” he wrote. "I'm more confident in Polygon's bright future and passionate community."1 CoinDesk confirmed the same day that Kanani had co-founded Polygon in 2017 with Sandeep Nailwal and Anurag Arjun2.
Five of Polygon Labs' 8 leadership moves on the record came in 2023, its busiest year
Leadership moves CryptoLately has verified at Polygon Labs, by year
- 2023: 5
- 2024, 2025, 2026
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 5 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 | 2 |
Eight executive exits on the record in 2023
Executive exits CryptoLately has verified, by year; 2026 through Oct. 2, 2026
- 2023: 8
- 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025, 2026
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 6 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 9 |
| 2022 | 9 |
| 2023 | 8 |
| 2024 | 11 |
| 2025 | 20 |
| 2026 | 27 |
The move
Kanani framed the move as a shift in focus rather than a clean exit. “I'll be focusing on new adventures while still cheering and contributing to Polygon from the sidelines,” he wrote, closing with "Bullish on Polygon 2.0!"1 Co-founder Sandeep Nailwal answered him publicly. "Man this makes me emotional," Nailwal wrote, adding, “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.”2 CoinDesk reported that Polygon declined to comment further when the outlet asked about Kanani's departure.
Polygon before and after
Kanani's announcement came three months after a separate shakeup at the company. CoinDesk reported that Polygon Labs, the company behind the network, had already promoted chief legal officer Marc Boiron to CEO in July 2023. President Ryan Wyatt stepped down into an advisory role at the same time2. Kanani's own six-month timeline put his quiet exit from daily work around April 2023, months before that leadership change became public. By the time he posted, Nailwal and Arjun, the other two founders, remained active in the project. Kanani described his own new role as a supporter rather than an operator1.
What came next
Nailwal built on his founder's role rather than stepping away from Polygon. As of Oct. 3, 2026, his X bio names him "Founder & CEO" of the Polygon Foundation, alongside separate ventures he founded or co-founded, Blockchain for Impact and Sentient AGI4. Boiron remains chief executive of Polygon Labs on the same date, with his bio now describing the company's focus on "onchain payments via Polygon Open Money Stack"3. Kanani's own path since the 2023 post sits outside what either record traces.
Sources
- Jaynti Kanani, post announcing he stepped back from Polygon, X, Oct. 4, 2023, https://x.com/jdkanani/status/1709569503099519296
- Jamie Crawley, "Polygon Co-Founder Jaynti Kanani Steps Down," CoinDesk, Oct. 4, 2023, https://www.coindesk.com/business/2023/10/04/polygon-co-founder-jaynti-kanani-steps-down
- Marc Boiron, X profile, read Oct. 3, 2026, https://api.fxtwitter.com/0xmarcb
- Sandeep Nailwal, X profile, read Oct. 3, 2026, https://api.fxtwitter.com/sandeepnailwal