Polygon to Cut 30% Workforce, Shifts Focus to AI Chain

Polygon $MATIC has announced it will lay off 30% of its workforce and rebrand its roadmap toward integrating artificial intelligence with blockchain infrastructure. The move follows declining DeFi activity on Polygon and the collapse of several NFT projects on its chain. Investors are divided: some applaud the innovation, while others see it as a desperate pivot. MATIC dropped 9% on the news. Competing Layer-2 solutions like Optimism (OP) and zkSync gained traction. Polygon claims its new AI Layer will feature auto-generating smart contracts and autonomous DAOs. However, critics warn it may be abandoning its original ecosystem too quickly. Can Polygon successfully reinvent itself—or will this shift fracture its community?