Mihailo Bjelic, One of the Driving Forces Behind Ethereum Layer 2 Giant Polygon, Has Announced His Departure From the Project

Mihailo Bjelic, one of the driving forces behind Ethereum Layer 2 giant Polygon, has announced his departure from the project he helped shape

Mihailo Bjelic, a founding member of Ethereum Layer 2 giant Polygon, is stepping down from the project.

As one of the original four founders of the network, Bjelic joined the venture in 2017 and helped launch it as Matic Network. He played a key role in shaping the project's vision and technology stack.

However, in a statement shared on X, Bjelic noted that as the project naturally evolves, so too do the visions of its founders. With a divergence in visions making it difficult for him to continue contributing meaningfully, he has decided to step down from both Polygon Labs and the foundation board.

Announcing my departure from @PolygonHQ.

In 2017, we embarked on a journey to build something truly meaningful. Together with Jaynti, Sandeep, and Anurag, we founded Matic Network with the goal of advancing the Web3 space.

Over the years, we've seen incredible support from the community, and the project has blossomed into a leading Ethereum scaling solution, renowned for its cutting-edge technologies in zero-knowledge proofs and proof-of-stake.

As the project naturally evolves, so too do the visions of its founders. At this juncture, I've reached a point where I can no longer contribute in a way that aligns with my vision for the future of Polygon.

Therefore, I'm announcing my departure from both Polygon Labs and the foundation board.

I'm deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve this project and work alongside such a talented team. I have nothing but the best wishes for Sandeep, Anurag, and the entire Polygon team as they continue to build on the strong foundation we've laid together.

I'll continue to be a supporter of Polygon and its ecosystem.

Earlier this year, fellow co-founder Jaynti Kanani also departed from Polygon, while Anurag Arjun stepped down last year. Together, the four founders oversaw the transformation of Matic into Polygon, and they played a key role in securing major partnerships and funding rounds.

Recently, Polygon unveiled its roadmap for Polygon 2.0, which includes a native token upgrade from MATIC to POL and an expanded role for the token across the network's staking and infrastructure layers.

The project is now moving forward under the leadership of co-founders Sandeep Nailwal and Anurag Arjun, who remain involved in an advisory capacity.

In his own statement shared on X, Nailwal paid tribute to Bjelic's contributions.

"Mihailo, more than a co-founder—a brother. Years of brotherhood, building an empire from scratch. Now, as the project naturally evolves, so too do our visions. Thank you for your tireless work & dedication. Wishing you all the best in your future endeavors. The journey continues with optimism & strength."