Prediction-market platform Polymarket has brought on former Zora CEO Jacob Horne to revive its onchain product and strengthen its crypto-native offerings.
CEO Shayne Coplan announced that Horne will collaborate directly with him, focusing heavily on “making Polymarket DeFi great again.”
Horne arrives at Polymarket following a tenure of over six years at Zora, where he acted as CEO and contributed to the development of the creator-focused onchain platform. Coplan praised Horne as one of the preeminent product and innovation minds within the crypto space, noting that Polymarket possesses the ideal product-market fit and distribution to provide Horne with an expanded platform.
Rather than a strictly narrow engineering position, Horne steps into a comprehensive product mandate. Coplan revealed that the company intends to host an upcoming Polymarket DeFi town hall to gather feedback from dedicated users and detail the roadmap for the onchain service.
“We’ll be hosting a Polymarket DeFi town hall soon to hear from our longtime users and lay out the plan to make the Polymarket DeFi product the best it’s ever been,” Coplan stated.
Coplan admitted that the performance of Polymarket DeFi had declined while the company focused on scaling. Certain long-standing users observed that Polymarket diverted its focus toward building out its US business, leaving its onchain product overlooked. Source: DeFiRate
Polymarket maintains distinct platforms tailored for its US and crypto-native markets. The global onchain platform settles markets using Polygon, whereas the US operations function via a CFTC-regulated exchange following the company’s expansion efforts.
This leadership hire coincides with a wider infrastructure upgrade, which features a complete rewrite of Polymarket’s trading engine in Rust to enhance overall performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the new hire joining Polymarket?
Former Zora CEO Jacob Horne has joined Polymarket to rebuild and lead its onchain and DeFi product offerings.
Why is Polymarket making changes to its onchain product?
CEO Shayne Coplan acknowledged that the performance of Polymarket DeFi had waned as the company expanded its US business and scaled operations.
What other infrastructure upgrades is Polymarket undertaking?
Alongside leadership changes, Polymarket is executing a broader infrastructure overhaul, which includes rewriting its trading engine in Rust to boost performance.
How are Polymarket’s global and US operations structured?
Polymarket operates separate platforms: a global onchain venue that settles markets on Polygon, and a US business operating through a CFTC-regulated exchange.