Nailwal Expresses Frustration with Ethereum Community and Leadership
Polygon co-founder and CEO of the Polygon Foundation, Sandeep Nailwal, has voiced strong criticism of Ethereum’s leadership and community, accusing them of disregarding Polygon’s contributions to the Ethereum ecosystem. In a post shared on X on Monday, Nailwal stated that he is now “questioning his loyalty” to Ethereum after years of aligning Polygon’s identity with the network despite receiving little to no direct support from the Ethereum Foundation (EF). Sandeep Nailwal was appointed CEO of Polygon in June.
Read this from Peter and realized that it’s time for me to also speak up. NGL, I’ve started questioning my loyalty toward Ethereum. I did not come into crypto because of Bitcoin but because of Ethereum. I also have a lot of gratitude toward @VitalikButerin — someone I looked up…
"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," Nailwal stated. He went on to describe the Ethereum community as “a shit show for quite some time,” urging its members to “take a hard look at itself.”
Industry Leaders Weigh In on Nailwal's Criticism
Nailwal’s criticism comes amid broader discontent surrounding Ethereum’s internal leadership. He referenced an 18-month-old letter from former EF researcher Péter Szilágyi, who previously detailed his frustrations with the foundation. Similarly, Eric Conner, one of Ethereum’s early developers, left in January, citing disagreements with Vitalik Buterin’s leadership.
Nailwal’s remarks also drew attention from outside the Ethereum ecosystem. Solana co-founder Raj Gokal and former Solana Foundation head of strategy Austin Federa both responded by suggesting that Polygon should consider collaborating with Solana — or even become a layer 2 solution on the rival network.
Vitalik Buterin Acknowledges Polygon's Contributions, Clarifies L2 Status
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin later replied to Nailwal’s post, acknowledging Polygon’s major contributions to the Ethereum ecosystem. He cited Polygon’s success in hosting Polymarket, one of the largest prediction market platforms, and advancing zkEVM technology, a key innovation for Ethereum scalability. Buterin also commended Nailwal’s humanitarian work through CryptoRelief, which has supported biomedical research and infrastructure development in India.
However, Buterin stood by his position that Polygon cannot yet be considered a “true Ethereum layer 2.” He explained that the network currently lacks a proof system — a mechanism required to inherit Ethereum’s full security guarantees.