Polygon co-founder Mihailo Bjelic has resigned from the company, stepping down from the Polygon Foundation board and ending his role at the main Polygon Labs development studio.
He shared the message on his X handle, saying, “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.”
This makes him the third founder to leave the team, joining co-founders Jaynti Kanani and Anurag Arjun, who had also stepped away from their active roles in the blockchain project. Kanani left the company in October 2023, while Arjun stepped down in March 2023 to concentrate on his modular blockchain project, Avail.
Bjelic says he can no longer give his best to Polygon
Bjelic has played a pivotal role in taking Polygon to greater heights after he co-founded the platform in 2017. The Ethereum Layer 2, originally named Matic Network, was created along with Jaynti Kanani, Sandeep Nailwal, and Anurag Arjun. Ethereum’s Layer 2 scaling solutions provide many advantages for the Ethereum network. These benefits include faster transaction times, lower fees, and better scalability.
As a Layer 2 solution, Polygon uses these features to boost its performance and improve the experience for its users. In support of this, it is evident that the firm has made significant contributions to blockchain research and development, particularly in zero-knowledge and proof-of-stake technologies. Polygon introduced MATIC for POL-on a one-to-one basis in late 2024 and initiated a token migration as a part of its 2.0 plan. This change was to drive more usage of the network’s main token for gas fees, staking, and infrastructure such as AggLayer.
However, on Friday, May 23, Bjelic shared a post on X, noting that he could no longer give his best to Polygon. Based on his explanation, as projects developed and evolved, it was natural for ideas to shift and sometimes become divided up. Afterward, Bjelic mentioned that Polygon leaders seemed sincerely dedicated to seeing the project prosper. He then offered support to them from the sideline and for whatever he could do to assist.
Following his resignation, Nailwal praised Bjelic in an X post, stating he was not only a co-founder but also a brother to him. “From the earliest days — whiteboards full of ideas, endless whitepapers, governance frameworks, strategy calls deep into the night — you have been a force behind so much of what makes Polygon,” he added. Concerning his resignation, Bjelic mentioned that he still felt just as enthusiastic about the potential of cryptocurrency to change systems, empower people, and build a fairer world. Therefore, he added that this belief continues to motivate him, and as a result, he will probably be seen around.
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