Polygon CEO Sandeep Nailwal Questions Loyalty to Ethereum, Criticizes Basis Management Amid Rising Inner Tensions.
Sandeep Nailwal, the Polygon CEO is questioning his loyalty to Ethereum as tensions rise throughout the blockchain group.
Nailwal, who co-founded Polygon and leads the Polygon Basis, says the Ethereum ecosystem has didn’t recognise his platform’s contributions. His remarks have created a contemporary debate about Ethereum’s remedy of its companions and the morale inside its ranks.
Polygon’s Rising Frustration with Ethereum Basis
Sandeep Nailwal wrote on X that he has all the time seen Ethereum as the inspiration of his blockchain journey. However current behaviour from the Ethereum Basis (EF) and its group has made him doubt that loyalty.
“I’ve all the time felt ethical loyalty towards Ethereum even when it prices me billions in Polygon’s valuation,” he mentioned.
In keeping with Nailwal, Polygon has acquired little to no direct help from the EF, and as an alternative, has typically confronted the alternative.
Learn this from Peter and realized that it is time for me to additionally converse up.
NGL, I’ve began questioning my loyalty towards Ethereum. I didn’t come into crypto due to Bitcoin however due to Ethereum. I even have numerous gratitude towards @VitalikButerin — somebody I seemed up… https://t.co/yrcrGEwXs8
— Sandeep | CEO, Polygon Basis (※,※) (@sandeepnailwal) October 20, 2025
He added that regardless of Polygon’s shut alignment with Ethereum, the group continues to deal with it as an outsider.
“The Ethereum group as an entire has been a multitude for fairly a while,” Nailwal mentioned, calling on its leaders to “take a tough look” at themselves.
Ethereum Basis Faces Inner Discontent
Nailwal’s criticism of Ethereum comes at a time when a number of long-standing Ethereum contributors are voicing their very own frustrations. Nailwal’s feedback got here after Péter Szilágyi, a Geth core developer, printed a letter describing what he noticed as poor management throughout the EF.
Szilágyi’s letter, which was written greater than a yr in the past, resurfaced this week. He mentioned he had typically felt unappreciated and disconnected from the inspiration’s management. His be aware accused EF of benefiting from builders who labored out of precept relatively than revenue.
He additionally criticised how the organisation handles pay and recognition, and mentioned that those that have stayed loyal to Ethereum typically earn lower than their worth. “Virtually all of the early staff have left as a result of that was the one cheap strategy to get compensated pretty,” he wrote.
Szilágyi even quoted Vitalik Buterin’s previous comment that “if somebody’s not complaining that they’re paid too little, then they’re paid an excessive amount of.” He argued that this mindset discourages critical contributors from staying long-term.
A Query of Recognition and Worth
Nailwal says this downside goes past private frustration. He believes the Ethereum Basis has didn’t help groups which have expanded Ethereum’s attain. Polygon, for instance, has helped scale the community’s transaction capability whereas being suitable with Ethereum instruments and wallets.
He claims this alignment has come at a monetary price. “If we had branded Polygon as a layer 1, we’d probably be valued two to 5 occasions greater,” he mentioned.
Nailwal in contrast Polygon’s valuation to smaller unbiased chains like Hedera Hashgraph, that are presently price extra regardless of smaller ecosystems.
Polygon’s PoS chain, he added, runs successfully on Ethereum whereas its different initiatives like Katana and XLayer function as true layer 2 options.
But, the Ethereum group typically excludes Polygon from its “official” layer 2 conversations. “When Polymarket wins, it’s ‘Ethereum,’ however when Polygon delivers, it’s one thing else,” he mentioned.
Vitalik Buterin Responds to the Controversy
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin later responded to Nailwal’s submit. He praised Polygon for its work on zkEVM know-how and its position in internet hosting initiatives like Polymarket.
I actually admire each @sandeepnailwal‘s private contributions and @0xPolygon‘s immensely beneficial position within the ethereum ecosystem.
To recap:
* Polygon hosts @Polymarket, which might be the one most profitable instance of a “not simply boring finance” app that has truly…
— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) October 21, 2025
He additionally identified Nailwal’s humanitarian contributions by means of CryptoRelief, which funds well being analysis and infrastructure in India.
Nonetheless, Buterin clarified that Polygon nonetheless lacks the proof system that defines a real Ethereum layer 2. “Polygon might simply combine a ZK tech stack to realize full proof safety,” he mentioned.
In keeping with Buterin, advances in zero-knowledge know-how now make this inexpensive with proving prices as little as $0.0001 per transaction.
Nailwal has but to reply publicly to Buterin’s remarks.
A Pressure That Exhibits Ethereum’s Identification Disaster
The disagreement between Nailwal and the EF exhibits Ethereum’s rising identification downside. Because the community matures, it has attracted tons of of recent builders and scaling initiatives.
Nonetheless, this growth has additionally led to questions on who actually represents ETH and the way the ecosystem distributes credit score.
Analysts be aware that Ethereum’s decentralised governance construction typically leaves contributors feeling disconnected. “It’s laborious to inform who speaks for Ethereum anymore,” mentioned one blockchain researcher.
“That creates friction when builders anticipate recognition from a basis that not straight manages many of the innovation.”
