Polygon Co-Founder Criticizes Ethereum Leadership, Questions Loyalty to the Network

Polygon co-founder and CEO of the Polygon Foundation, Sandeep Nailwal, has voiced deep frustration with Ethereum’s leadership and community, accusing them of disregarding Polygon’s contributions and questioning his long-standing loyalty to the network.

In a candid post shared on X on Monday, Nailwal said he feels that Ethereum leaders have failed to recognize Polygon’s achievements, despite its consistent support for the ecosystem. “I have given my loyalty to Ethereum even though it has potentially cost me billions of dollars in Polygon’s valuation not to brand itself as a layer 1,” he wrote.

He went on to claim that the Ethereum community, including the Ethereum Foundation (EF), has provided “no direct support” to Polygon. Nailwal’s remarks culminated in a blunt assessment: “The Ethereum community as a whole has been a shit show for quite some time. The Ethereum community needs to take a hard look at itself.”

Broader Ethereum Foundation Leadership Criticism

Nailwal’s comments come amid a broader wave of criticism directed at the Ethereum Foundation, which has undergone significant leadership changes over the past year. He cited a resurfaced post from former EF researcher Péter Szilágyi, who had expressed frustration with internal management in an 18-month-old letter.

Eric Conner, one of Ethereum’s early developers, also left the foundation in January, publicly voicing concerns over co-founder Vitalik Buterin’s leadership decisions. These internal rifts appear to have fueled ongoing debates about Ethereum’s direction and its relationship with key ecosystem players.

Meanwhile, Nailwal’s criticism received unexpected support from leadership in rival blockchain communities. Solana co-founder Raj Gokal and former Solana Foundation strategy head Austin Federa both suggested that Polygon could “team up” with Solana or even become a layer 2 solution on the Solana network, an idea that underscores the growing competition among blockchain ecosystems.

Buterin Responds, Acknowledges Polygon’s Contributions

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin was quick to respond to Nailwal’s post, praising Polygon’s accomplishments and acknowledging its role in advancing Ethereum-related technology. He highlighted Polygon’s contributions through its zk-EVM development and its hosting of major decentralized applications such as the predictions market Polymarket.

Buterin also commended Nailwal’s humanitarian work through CryptoRelief, a fund that has supported biomedical infrastructure and COVID-19 relief efforts in India.

However, Buterin maintained that Polygon does not yet qualify as a true Ethereum layer 2. He explained that Polygon currently lacks a proof system necessary to inherit Ethereum’s full security guarantees. 

“Polygon could easily pick up off the shelf a ZK tech stack,” he said, noting that zero-knowledge technology has improved significantly, with proving costs now as low as $0.0001 per transaction.