Mihailo Bjelic, co-founder of the Ethereum layer-2 scaling solution Polygon, has officially stepped down from his role at the organization. Though leaving his day-to-day responsibilities, Bjelic has expressed intentions to remain active in the cryptocurrency space.
The announcement of his resignation has elicited varied reactions across Polygon and the broader crypto community. Many perceive this as a notable loss for Polygon, particularly given its involvement in significant developments over the past few months.
Bjelic’s Transition Out of Polygon
On May 23, Bjelic took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce, “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.” He reassured the community, stating, “I’ll always be cheering from the sidelines and supporting however and whenever I can.”
Fellow co-founder Sandeep Nailwal praised Bjelic’s substantial contributions, remarking that he has consistently been a force behind much of Polygon’s growth and success. This sentiment was echoed by many in the community, who expressed their gratitude for Bjelic’s leadership and vision.
Bjelic reiterated his commitment to the cryptocurrency industry, saying, “I remain as passionate as ever about crypto. You will likely still see me around.” This leaves the door open for future endeavors within the ecosystem.
The industry has responded with a wave of support. Aave-chan Initiative founder Marc Zella referred to Bjelic’s resignation as a “Big L for Polygon.” Leon Stern, Polygon’s head of marketing, expressed appreciation for Bjelic’s contributions, stating, “Thanks for everything you’ve done for Polygon, and best of luck.” Meanwhile, Skale Network CEO Jack O’Holleran acknowledged Bjelic’s accomplishments and expressed excitement for what lies ahead for him.
It is noteworthy that Bjelic is not the only founding member to transition away from Polygon in recent months. Jaynti Kanani and Anurag Arjun, also early founders of Polygon Labs, have similarly stepped aside, with Arjun pivoting towards leading the independent entity formed from Polygon’s spin-off, Avail.
Bjelic’s departure comes on the heels of several significant announcements this year related to Polygon’s ecosystem. For instance, on March 25, the real-world asset (RWA) tokenization platform DigiShares revealed plans to introduce tokenized real estate trading on Polygon with the launch of RealEstate.Exchange. Additionally, in January, Jio Platforms, owned by Asia’s richest individual, Mukesh Ambani, cooperated with Polygon Labs to enhance some of its offerings with blockchain capabilities.
As we bid farewell to one of Polygon’s key figures, the community awaits to see Bjelic’s next moves in the ever-evolving crypto landscape. His passion and dedication to the industry suggest that while he may be stepping back from Polygon, his influence is far from diminished.
