Polygon (POL) Faces a Notable Shift as Co-founder Mihailo Bjelic Departs From the Foundation Board

Polygon (POL) faces a notable shift as Mihailo Bjelic, a co-founder, leaves the Polygon Foundation board. This departure marks the third founder exit.

Mihailo Bjelic, a co-founder of Polygon (CRYPTO: POL), is stepping down from his role on the Polygon Foundation board. Bjelic's departure marks the third founder exit, following Jaynti Kanani and Anurag Arjun.

Bjelic will no longer be actively involved but will be supporting Polygon from the sidelines.

"I was introduced to crypto in 2013 (time flies!). By 2017, I was deep down the rabbit hole, fascinated by new technologies and the potential to create something meaningful," Bjelic said in a farewell message.

"I am grateful for the opportunity to have contributed to Polygon's journey and to have met some incredible people along the way. But as projects grow and mature, the visions of the leaders can diverge."

Bjelic stated that he will no longer be able to contribute to Polygon in the way he would like, and that he feels it is the right time for him to step down and allow others to continue to build on the project's momentum.

"I will be cheering on Polygon from the sidelines and I have no doubt that the project will go on to achieve great things," he added.

Bjelic's departure follows those of Arjun and Kanani, who also recently stepped down from their roles at the Polygon Foundation.

Arjun is now focusing on a modular blockchain project, while Kanani has retired after several years with POL.

Only co-founder Sandeep Nailwal remains on Polygon's board.

Polygon community members expressed concern over Bjelic's departure, noting his significant contributions to the project. Some commenters speculate that the founders' exits could indicate deeper challenges within the Polygon ecosystem.

Earlier in 2025, there were concerns over Polygon’s network health as institutions pulled back from crypto markets.

These concerns were compounded by a steeper-than-expected decline in POL’s token price.

Yet, throughout 2025, Polygon has made major strides in zero-knowledge technology and onboarding large-scale brands, showcasing progress despite the founder changes.

The ecosystem also underwent a rebranding from Matic Network to Polygon, signaling its evolution.

As Polygon continues migrating its token from MATIC to POL, it is concentrating on expanding its Layer-2 solutions for Ethereum.

With the remaining leadership aiming to sustain momentum and POL focusing on key initiatives, supporters anticipate further innovations from Polygon in the future.