Key Takeaways:
Mihailo Bjelic has officially resigned from his position at the Polygon Foundation while indicating that he will remain engaged within the cryptocurrency sector. His exit comes in the wake of two other notable departures, yet Polygon continues to advance with new projects such as the Agglayer Breakout Program. Colleagues within the industry lauded Bjelic’s significant contributions, emphasizing his pivotal role in the development and expansion of Polygon’s impact.
Mihailo Bjelic, a prominent figure in the development of the Ethereum scaling solution Polygon, has confirmed his departure from the Polygon Foundation.
On May 23, Bjelic revealed in a post on X that he would be stepping back from his daily responsibilities with the project, while expressing that his commitment to the broader cryptocurrency space is far from over.
“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,” Bjelic stated. “As projects evolve and mature, it is natural for visions to evolve, and sometimes diverge.”
Bjelic Affirms Ongoing Commitment to Crypto
Although Bjelic did not outline specific future plans, he made it clear that his dedication to the cryptocurrency industry remains strong.
“You will likely still see me around,” he remarked, implying that he will continue to engage in blockchain development beyond his role at Polygon.
His resignation prompted reactions from various figures within the crypto community. Fellow co-founder Sandeep Nailwal commended Bjelic’s instrumental contributions to the protocol, describing him as “a force behind so much of what makes Polygon what it is today.”
Leon Stern, Polygon’s head of marketing, extended his gratitude, stating, “Thanks for everything you’ve done for Polygon, and best of luck.”
It’s hard to put into words what you mean to me and to Polygon. More than a co-founder, you’re a brother. 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…
— Sandeep | Polygon (※,※) (@sandeepnailwal) May 23, 2025
Responses from the industry varied, with Aave-chan Initiative founder Marc Zella calling Bjelic’s departure a “Big L for Polygon” while Skale Network CEO Jack O’Holleran praised his influence and expressed hope for his upcoming ventures.
Bjelic’s resignation is the third significant exit from the company in the span of two years, following the departures of Jaynti Kanani and Anurag Arjun from Polygon Labs.
Arjun’s departure coincided with the launch of Avail, a data availability and consensus layer that has transitioned to operate as an independent entity under his guidance.
Despite these leadership changes, Polygon continues to seek new opportunities for growth and development.
In January, Jio Platforms, controlled by Mukesh Ambani, partnered with Polygon Labs to incorporate Web3 functions into its offerings.
More recently, in March, the RWA platform DigiShares introduced RealEstate.Exchange (REX) on Polygon, with the aim of tokenizing real estate transactions.
Polygon Launches the Agglayer Breakout Program
Last month, the team behind Polygon announced the initiation of the Agglayer Breakout Program, designed to establish high-value chains that would enhance the network effects of Agglayer.
The aggregation layer, known as AggLayer, is a cross-chain settlement layer created by Polygon Labs and its partners, which was launched in early 2024, followed by version 0.2 earlier this year.
The Polygon Foundation and Polygon Labs are supporting this innovative program, which aims to launch “high-impact projects that drive significant activity” towards Agglayer and Polygon PoS, its proof-of-stake sidechain for Ethereum.
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