Mihailo Bjelic Steps Down: What’s Next for Polygon’s Future?

• Mihailo Bjelic steps down from Polygon Foundation, marking a shift in his involvement with the project.
• Polygon’s success grows through advancements in zero-knowledge tech and partnerships with global brands.
• Bjelic’s departure follows co-founders Kanani and Arjun, with Polygon’s future secured under remaining leadership.

Mihailo Bjelic, co-founder of Polygon, announced that he will resign from the Polygon Foundation and also cut back his work with Polygon Labs. On Friday, May 23, 2025, Bjelic announced the wind-down of the platform he helped build in 2019 on X. The decision marks a change in his interests after many years of valuable support to the project.

Polygon, which improves Ethereum’s capacity, has quickly become recognized in the blockchain community. The project has advanced a lot over time, mainly in zero-knowledge technology and has included some leading global companies in its network. We’ve accomplished a great deal, moving from advances in zero-knowledge technology to welcoming top leaders to our project.

Polygon’s Rapid Growth

Bjelic began his journey in the cryptocurrency world in 2013 and by 2017 was fully involved in it. Together with Jaynti Kanani, Sandeep Nailwal and Anurag Arjun, he launched Polygon, which was formerly called Matic Network. After being rebranded, the project quickly became popular, ranking as a highly searched proof-of-stake blockchain in the U.S. by 2023. Polygon’s achievements are the result of the strong vision and commitment of its founders.

Bjelic said that, after any project starts to mature, its vision changes naturally and may not always stay the same. When projects grow, their direction often changes. As a result, I can no longer give the same level of support to Polygon, he explained. Bjelic is confident that Polygon will keep moving forward and has no doubts he will be there for them if they need his advice.

Acknowledging Bjelic’s Contribution

Bjelic leaving is similar to the departures of Kanani and Arjun, the co-founders. Arjun resigned from his role in March 2023 as he planned to build Avail, a new type of modular blockchain and Kanani left in October of the same year. Even with someone new in charge, Polygon is still safe because its leaders are still on board.

Another co-founder, Sandeep Nailwal, acknowledged Bjelic’s important contribution to Polygon. Nailwal considers him more than a co-founder, stating that they were also brothers, even remembering their times discussing strategies and planning that made Polygon succeed.

While Bjelic steps down, Polygon’s story still unfolds. The success of the project will likely continue as its co-founders have made a significant difference in the blockchain field.