Anton Bukov says 1inch fired him in 2025 as he launches Second Tier, while 1inch disputes the claim and says operations remain stable.
Author: Akshat Thakur
July 16, 2026 – Anton Bukov, a technical co-founder of 1inch, says the company fired him in late November 2025.
High Signal Summary For A Quick Glance
ann👾
@21timestwo
@k06a that's still half an inch then yeah?
https://t.co/gXeJgujJmR
04:48 PM·Jul 16, 2026
Rusya.solus
@Rusya_Solus
@k06a thank you for every single contribution to the DeFi space! 1inch - and you personally - were, and still are, absolute legends
https://t.co/gXeJgujJmR
02:30 PM·Jul 16, 2026
Artem Oak
@Artem_Oak
@k06a How can you be fired when you still own 50% of the company? Surely there is a reason for this
https://t.co/gXeJgujJmR
02:22 PM·Jul 16, 2026
Steady attention without excessive speculation.
He announced the news on X on Thursday. Bukov still holds co-founder status and claims a 50% stake. Yet he no longer takes part in operations, product architecture, or security.
Bukov posted a detailed statement at 14:02 GMT. In it, he traced his role back to the start.
He co-founded 1inch in May 2019. Then he led the protocol’s architecture, its security, and its economic design.
According to Bukov, the split grew from disagreements over strategy, leadership, and communication. He also pushed to move from a purely technical role into management. As a result, tension built through 2025.
“In late November 2025 I was fired,” Bukov wrote. He added that he remains a co-founder and a 50% shareholder, but no longer helps run the company’s operations.
1inch replied within the hour. At 14:41 GMT, its official account confirmed the break.
The company said Bukov stopped active involvement in December 2025. Still, it stressed that nothing about the network has changed.
“This does not affect the operation of 1inch Network or any associated organizations,” the company wrote. It said the protocols, infrastructure, and core systems all continue to run as normal.
1inch also credited co-founder Sergej Kunz and the current leadership team. According to the statement, the strategy and roadmap remain unchanged. The company thanked Bukov and wished his new project well.
Both sides agree on the timeline. However, they clash over one word.
A 1inch spokesperson called the “fired” label “factually inaccurate.” Because Bukov was not a direct employee, the company argues, it could not terminate him in that way.
The spokesperson also framed his work as a team effort, not sole leadership. Bukov, for his part, keeps using the word “fired” and points to his lost oversight of product and security, as The Defiant reported.
The Defiant also points to a deeper rift. Its reporting notes tension between 1inch’s push toward institutions and Bukov’s taste for pure, open DeFi. That gap, more than any single event, may explain the break.
Key milestones in Anton Bukov’s Departure from 1inch
Anton Bukov states he was let go over strategic differences, leadership, and communication issues after pushing for greater management involvement.
Bukov ends all operational involvement, including product architecture and protocol security oversight — confirmed by 1inch.
Bukov publicly announces his firing on X, confirms he retains co-founder status and 50% ownership, and states he is no longer involved in operations or technical oversight.
1inch confirms Bukov has not contributed since December 2025, while emphasizing that operations, strategy, and leadership under Sergej Kunz remain unchanged.
Bukov simultaneously announces Second Tier (tier.xyz), a new independent DeFi infrastructure startup focused on secure and efficient systems.
Watch for public updates on any resolution or transfer of Bukov’s claimed 50% ownership stake in 1inch.
Bukov and Kunz built the first 1inch prototype in about 18 hours. They shipped it at the ETHNewYork hackathon in May 2019.
Before that, the pair ran the CryptoManiacs channel on smart-contract audits and education. Bukov also brought experience from NEAR Protocol and other blockchain work.
1inch then grew fast through DeFi summer. The company raised a $175 million round in 2021 and launched the 1INCH governance token. Throughout, Bukov served as the technical anchor.
Bukov shaped much of the 1inch stack. He led the routing logic, the Fusion Dutch-auction swaps, and cross-chain execution. He also drove the Shared Liquidity design known as Aqua.
So his exit removes a founding architect from protocol security and design. In theory, that could slow future work on core primitives.
1inch counters that its systems are mature and team-run. For now, the protocol keeps operating, and no security incident has followed the news. Still, oversight of security now rests with the remaining team, so audits will carry more weight.
Anton Bukov did not leave quietly. On the same day, he launched a new project called Second Tier at tier.xyz.
The manifesto frames Second Tier as DeFi infrastructure. According to Bukov, it aims to “close the distance between economic intent and its execution.”
He says the project is not a DEX or a 1inch rival. Instead, it wants to redesign constraints at a higher level. For now, Bukov has not disclosed funding, a team, or a launch date.
Reaction on X stayed mostly calm. Many accounts simply shared Bukov’s thread and waited for detail.
Some users questioned the framing. One common reply asked how a person can be fired while still owning half the company. Others turned to Second Tier and what Bukov might build next.
The market barely blinked. As of July 16, the 1INCH token traded near $0.07417, with a market cap around $104 million, according to CoinGecko. The token still sits far below its $8.65 peak from October 2021.
Over 24 hours, the token moved less than 1%. Over the past week, it gained about 3.5%. So far, no sharp reaction has tied to the news.
On-chain, the picture stays small. DefiLlama pegs 1inch protocol TVL near $2.64 million, while 30-day aggregator volume sits around $2.76 billion.
Bukov’s 50% claim points to private company equity, not the 1INCH token supply. As of now, he has not said whether he will keep, sell, or transfer that stake.
Two questions now sit open. First, what will Anton Bukov build with Second Tier? Second, what happens to his 50% stake?
Meanwhile, 1inch keeps its roadmap and leadership in place under Kunz. The DAO’s Snapshot page shows no proposal tied to the departure.
For readers, the story is still young, and both sides may say more. This article is not financial advice, so treat any token angle with care.
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