2026-01-16 05:30:46

Recently, I heard an interesting story—Polygon has significantly cut nearly 30% of its staff.

Although there was no official statement released directly, CEO Marc Boiron acknowledged this adjustment in an interview. He added that as the newly acquired teams will gradually join, the overall headcount will eventually balance out. Some of the laid-off employees also spoke out on social media, further confirming this information.

The interesting part is here—within the same week, Polygon announced a $250 million dual acquisition. On one hand, layoffs; on the other, a large investment. This contrast is worth pondering.

Generally speaking, a simple business contraction wouldn’t involve such a large amount of money spent on acquisitions. If the company were truly in an expansion phase, it wouldn’t cut a third of its staff. Looking at these two events together, it seems more like a proactive organizational adjustment—a kind of blood transfusion. The personnel from existing business lines are being streamlined, and the freed-up resources and positions are being allocated to the newly acquired teams.

So what exactly is Polygon buying with this money? The two acquired companies are called Coinme and Sequence.

Coinme is an established company founded in 2014, mainly serving as a bridge for exchanging fiat currency and crypto assets. It operates a network of over 50,000 retail terminals with crypto ATMs across the United States. It sounds sizable, but what’s truly valuable is its licenses—the money transfer licenses in 48 states. Obtaining these in the US is extremely difficult; giants like PayPal and Stripe took many years to acquire them one by one.

Sequence focuses on wallet infrastructure and cross-chain routing technology. From this combination, it appears that Polygon is filling in its compliance infrastructure and payment channels—exactly what’s needed to expand and strengthen Layer 2 scaling solutions.

This strategic logic is quite clear: using acquisitions to quickly gain regulatory approval and mature connectivity capabilities, while streamlining organizational structure to optimize cost efficiency. Rather than simply cutting staff, it’s more like making proactive adjustments for the next stage of business development.

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MemeTokenGenius

· 14h ago

Cut 30% of employees and spend 250 million on acquisitions? Polygon's move is a classic case of reshuffling, the industry is really heating up. One hand letting people go, the other handing out money—at first glance, it seems contradictory, but the logic is solid. Those licenses and wallet infrastructure are the real assets. Coinme's licenses in 48 states are indeed valuable; this stuff is like a fortress, even Stripe took years to secure them. But on the other hand, does this kind of adjustment affect the morale of remaining employees... The real killer move is Sequence's cross-chain technology—compliance + infrastructure. For Layer2 to explode, it needs both. It feels like Polygon is quietly playing a big game, not just shrinking.

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GasFeeCrying

· 14h ago

Lay off 30% of employees and spend 250 million to acquire... This is Web3, always betting on a big move. To put it simply, Polygon's move is just swapping licenses for new personnel, and the 48-state license from Coinme is the real deal. The laid-off employees probably feel a bit uncomfortable, but from a business perspective, it's indeed a smart move.

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MevShadowranger

· 14h ago

Lay off 30% of employees and spend 250 million to hire? Polygon's move is really playing around, just change the blood, no need for all the fancy铺垫 I understand that licenses are valuable, but are licenses in 48 states really that hardcore? Feels like they're paving the way for compliance, with Layer 2 competition getting so fierce Coinme's ATM network sounds good, but can Polygon really make use of these? Or is it another failed acquisition story Basically, it's about using acquisitions to change the team, under the guise of strategic adjustment. The guys who got cut are probably feeling pretty bad right now... I’m optimistic about Sequence's cross-chain routing; this is the real core asset, everything else is just a supporting role Two words: gamble. Either this adjustment will revive Polygon, or it will burn money for Bitcoin.

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DoomCanister

· 14h ago

Rebooting... I am familiar with this routine—cutting off old personnel to hire new capabilities. Polygon is paving the way for compliance. --- Licenses in 48 states? That’s real gold and silver. This deal with Coinme is worth it. --- Basically, they are cutting the retirement-level staff and leaving money for the capable new team. Cost optimization is clear. --- Looking at two things together is indeed brilliant: cutting 30% while investing 2.5 billion. This guy knows what he wants. --- Sequence’s cross-chain technology combined with Coinme’s licenses... It feels like Polygon is playing a big chess game. --- Isn’t this just a team switch and restart? Nothing more to say—capital works like that. --- Payment channels + compliance licenses. Layer 2 should be played like this. Good strategic planning. --- Employees laid off must be feeling terrible... Rebooting is reasonable but comes with a hefty price.

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TokenomicsPolice

· 15h ago

Ha, Polygon's move is amazing... laying off 30% of employees while spending 2.5 billion on acquisitions, isn't that called a blood change? What they really want is actually the licenses for those 48 states, all the money is spent here. The guys who got laid off are probably feeling pretty bad right now, but from a strategic perspective, it does have some interesting points. However, this kind of "cut first, buy later" approach... feels a bit like gambling. Are Sequence and Coinme really worth this price? Or is it just to quickly get the licenses? Polygon's next move—either they want to completely shift towards the payments sector. The question is, will the market buy it? Anyway, I really can't understand why this timing has to be so urgent.

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RadioShackKnight

· 15h ago

Wait, laying off 30% of employees and still managing to raise 2.5 billion for acquisitions? That move is pretty ruthless, it's more like a blood change rather than just downsizing. The licenses in those 48 states for Coinme are the real deal; PayPal took several years to get them all. Polygon's move to acquire directly is definitely more convenient. But I still feel a bit emotional—those laid-off colleagues aren't doing well either. Think about it differently: Polygon aims to build itself into a true Layer 2 payment infrastructure. Having blockchain technology alone isn't enough; there must be an entry and exit point. This combination of strategies is quite systematic, but it’s tough on those who are being optimized out.

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