1inch confirms Anton Bukov’s departure after co-founder says he was fired

Decentralized exchange aggregator 1inch has confirmed that co-founder Anton Bukov is no longer involved with the project. This was after Bukov publicly revealed that he had been fired from the company late last year and announced a new DeFi venture.

In a statement posted on X, Bukov said he was dismissed in late November 2025, adding that he no longer has any role in 1inch’s operations, product architecture or security.

Shortly afterwards, 1inch confirmed that he has not been actively involved with the project since December 2025. It stressed that the protocol and its roadmap remain unchanged.

Bukov announces departure and new project

Bukov, who co-founded 1inch in 2019, said his work focused on the protocol’s architecture, security and economic design. He credited himself with leading the development of several core products, including the 1inch Router, Fusion and its cross-chain infrastructure.

According to Bukov, user and colleague feedback prompted him to become more involved in the company’s leadership and operational management. However, he said those efforts ultimately ended with his dismissal in late November 2025.

Despite his exit from day-to-day operations, Bukov said he remains a co-founder and 50% shareholder in the company.

He also announced the launch of a new DeFi project, Second Tier [tier.xyz], which he said will focus on building secure and efficient financial infrastructure.

1inch says operations remain unaffected

Responding to Bukov’s announcement, 1inch confirmed that he is no longer contributing to the project and has not been actively involved in any associated organizations since December 2025.

The company said Bukov’s departure does not affect the operation of the 1inch Network. It added that its protocols, infrastructure, and core systems continue to function normally. 

It also said co-founder Sergej Kunz and the existing executive leadership team remain responsible for the network’s strategy and development.

While 1inch acknowledged Bukov’s contributions over the years, it did not address his claim that he was fired.

Departure follows security incidents in 2025

Bukov’s exit comes after 1inch addressed several security incidents across its broader ecosystem.

In March 2025, attackers exploited an obsolete Fusion V1 resolver contract, resulting in losses of approximately $5 million. The company said the incident affected only outdated resolver integrations.

At the same time, the live Fusion V2 protocol and end-user funds remained unaffected. 

It later recovered most of the stolen assets after reaching an agreement with the attacker.

Earlier, in December 2024, 1inch disclosed that a resolver smart contract had been compromised following a private key breach. The company also said that the incident did not affect the core protocol or users’ funds.

There is no indication that either security incident was connected to Bukov’s departure.

Final Summary

• 1inch has confirmed that co-founder Anton Bukov is no longer involved with the project after Bukov revealed he was fired in late 2025.
• The company said operations, infrastructure, and development remain unchanged under the existing leadership.