Anton Bukov, a co-founder of DeFi aggregator 1inch, said on X that he has stepped away from the company’s operations and that he was “fired” in November last year. 1inch later pushed back with its own statement, saying Bukov had already stopped taking an active role in organizational work tied to the company from December 2025.
In his post, Bukov said he had led 1inch’s operations for more than seven years and left at the end of last year. He added that he is now launching a new project called Second Tier.
Different accounts of the split
According to Bukov, a dispute emerged in November 2025 when he tried to push changes to the company’s management and operations. He said that clash ended with him being fired. Even so, he did not leave right away and instead stayed on quietly to observe what was happening inside the company.
“I am no longer involved in the company’s operations, and most importantly, I am no longer involved in product architecture and security design, nor do I supervise either side,” Bukov said.
1inch described the timeline a little differently. In its statement on X, the company said Bukov had “not been actively involved in any organizational work related to 1inch” since December 2025. The two versions do not fully match on timing, but they point to the same fact: the co-founder is out of the company’s operating structure.
Bukov keeps 50% equity and moves to Second Tier
Although he has exited operations, Bukov said he still retains his role as a 1inch co-founder and holds 50% of the company’s equity. He said his attention has shifted to a second-wave DeFi infrastructure effort, with Second Tier focused on “the next layer of onchain finance.” He did not disclose further details about the project.
Sergej Kunz, 1inch’s other co-founder and a developer, remains at the helm. Kunz said on X that Bukov’s departure “will not interrupt the infrastructure and systems of the 1inch Network.”
1inch’s position in DeFi
1inch was founded in May 2019 and was one of the earliest routing aggregators in DeFi. By splitting trades across multiple decentralized exchanges, the platform helps users find better swap prices.
Over nearly seven years, 1inch expanded across multiple chains and introduced products such as the Fusion trading mode and Aqua, a shared liquidity protocol. According to Messari’s second-quarter report, 1inch’s trading volume in the second quarter of 2025 briefly surpassed Uniswap, making it the leading DEX during that period, while user growth was also notable.
A public founder rift emerges
Bukov’s exit marks the first public founder split at 1inch. Based on the statements released so far, neither side described the break as one that would disrupt the project’s technical systems. Still, the episode brings internal disagreements over management and strategic direction into public view as the DeFi sector continues to mature.
For now, Bukov’s next move is Second Tier. More details about the venture have not been made public.