Polygon Co-Founder Mihailo Bjelic Steps Down—What’s Next for the Layer-2 Giant?

Another crypto founder exits stage left—just as Polygon’s token brushes against all-time highs. Coincidence? Probably not.

Bjelic’s departure follows the playbook: build it, hype it, cash out. Now the Ethereum scaler faces its first real test—can it survive its own success without the original brain trust?

Meanwhile, VC bagholders whisper sweet nothings about ’decentralization’ while scrambling to protect their staked positions. The show goes on.

In brief

• Mihailo Bjelic leaves Polygon, citing a divergence of vision with the current project evolution.
• His departure follows those of two other co-founders, creating a significant symbolic void.
• The crypto community reacted strongly, between sincere tributes and concerns about future governance.
• Polygon continues to roll out Web3 projects, such as the strategic deal with Jio Platforms.

The breath of a pioneer fades from Polygon

At Cardano, Charles Hoskinson announced his departure from the scene in mid-April, citing issues of decentralized governance. Barely a month later, it is. The separation is clear, even if it aims to be elegant. Mihailo Bjelic has officially stepped down from the board of the Polygon Foundation and from his operational activities at Polygon Labs.

After much reflection, I decided to step down from the Polygon Foundation board and end my daily involvement.

This departure fits into a larger wave. Before him,. Bjelic, issuer of the POL crypto, leaves behind an important strategic footprint.

Since 2019,and partnerships with giants like Starbucks or Reddit. In January, Polygon still sealed, owned by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, to integrate Web3 in India.

Despite the internal disagreements mentioned, he remains faithful to his ideals: “I am still as passionate about the promise of crypto“, he states, before adding: “You will still see me in the ecosystem.“

The crypto community reacts to the blast

Tributes came swiftly. Co-founder Sandeep Nailwal expressed himself emotionally:

More than a co-founder, you are a brother. You have always been a strength behind Polygon.

The message is clear: this departure isas well as.

Marc Zeller, founder of the Aave-chan Initiative, does not mince words: “Big L for Polygon. They have lost one of the few assets they had left.” On the marketing side, Leon Stern salutes Bjelic’s impact: “Thank you for all you have done for Polygon.“

Jack O’Holleran, CEO of Skale Network, speaks of a record he can be “very proud of“.

Maggie Shefi highlights another aspect: the leverage effect Bjelic represented at the beginning of her project. “Thank you for being one of the first to believe in SheFi.“

Key figures:

• Polygon has seen three of its co-founders leave in two years;
• The network powers over 53,000 active dApps in 2024;
• The partnership with Jio Platforms reaches over 450 million users;
• More than 20 global brands use Polygon solutions;
• In March, DigiShares launched REX, a real estate tokenization platform on Polygon.

At ethereum as well, the departure crisis hits. At the end of January, Eric Conner, the project’s lead developer, slammed the door. He denounced the internal atmosphere and deep disagreements. Like an echo of this reality: the crypto industry moves forward, but its builders are exhausted.

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