Polygon Co-Founder Mihailo Bjelic Steps Down, Marking Major Leadership Shift Amid Layer 2 Evolution
Polygon, one of Ethereum’s leading Layer 2 scaling solutions, is undergoing another significant leadership change. Mihailo Bjelic, one of the project’s original co-founders, has officially stepped down from his roles at both Polygon Labs and the Polygon Foundation board.
PSA: After much thought and reflection, I’ve decided to step down from the board of the Polygon Foundation, and wind down my day-to-day involvement with Polygon Labs.
— Mihailo Bjelic (@MihailoBjelic) May 23, 2025
I was introduced to crypto in 2013 (damn, time flies). By 2017, I was deep down the rabbit hole, fascinated by…
Announced via social media on Friday, Bjelic explained that while he remains supportive of Polygon’s mission, diverging visions made it difficult for him to continue contributing effectively. “As projects evolve and mature, it is natural for visions to evolve, and sometimes diverge. With this in mind, I can no longer contribute to Polygon to the best of my abilities,” he shared. Despite his departure, Bjelic emphasized his ongoing support for the project and expressed confidence in its leadership.
Bjelic’s exit follows the earlier departures of fellow co-founders Jaynti Kanani and Anurag Arjun, making this the third co-founder to leave an active role within the project. His exit comes at a pivotal moment for Polygon, which has played a key role in advancing blockchain scalability, particularly through its work in zero-knowledge proofs and proof-of-stake consensus mechanisms.
Launched in 2017 under the name Matic Network, Polygon has since become a foundational player in Ethereum’s Layer 2 ecosystem. It recently embarked on its Polygon 2.0 roadmap, which included the migration of MATIC tokens to POL on a 1:1 basis—a move aimed at broadening the token’s functionality across gas fees, staking, and infrastructure protocols like the AggLayer.
Sandeep Nailwal, another co-founder and a prominent figure within the Polygon community, expressed heartfelt appreciation for Bjelic’s contributions. “More than a co-founder, you’re a brother... you have been a force behind so much of what makes Polygon,” Nailwal said, reflecting on the project's early days and its ongoing development.
While Bjelic’s departure may signal a shift in the project's internal dynamics, Polygon continues to maintain a strong foothold in the blockchain space. With its continued focus on innovation and infrastructure scaling, the project is well-positioned to navigate this transition and advance its long-term vision.