Polygon’s Nailwal bashes the Ethereum community, Buterin steps in with surprising praise

‘Ethereum Elite’ is under fire for its concentrated control, perceived underpayment of top contributors and governance issues highlighted by a core developer’s revelations.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin intervened after public comments from Polygon co-founder Sandeep Nailwal, as he sought to give credit to both the project and its leadership.

Nailwal expressed frustration with the Ethereum community but said he remained loyal even as he faced criticism over Polygon’s classification.

Inside Ethereum’s power struggle

In response, Buterin marked the contributions of Polygon and Nailwal personally, who describe the project as more than ‘not just a boring financial app’. He called out Polygon’s Layer 2 work, saying it has made Ethereum stronger.

The Ethereum co-founder’s admission came amid Nailwal’s candid reflections on the social and market pressures surrounding Polygon. Nagelwal spoke on the difficulty of categorizing Polygoon as Tier 1 or Tier 2, and pointed out how such differences impact market perception and valuation.

He described being called out by stakeholders for not labeling Polygon as Tier 1, despite the chain’s deep integration with Ethereum. Nailwal also alluded to moments of personal conflict, noting that navigating the Ethereum community had felt like a “shitshow” at times, while also expressing respect for Buterin as someone he “looked up to as an ideal for how things should be built in this world.”

Ethereum Elite under fire

Nailwal’s response comes after Ethereum core developer Péter Szilágyi published a lengthy letter that he first shared privately with the leadership of the Ethereum Foundation (EF) in May 2024. In it, Szilágyi outlined long-standing frustrations over governance, compensation, and the rise of an Ethereum “elite” that ultimately yields to Buterin. He described feeling like a “useful fool,” caught between loyalty to Ethereum and personal dissatisfaction, and criticized the perceived dissonance between the public portrayal of his leadership role and the way responsibilities were handled internally.

Highlighting compensation issues, Szilágyi said underpayment created incentives for top contributors to explore opportunities elsewhere, ultimately creating space for concentrated influence among high-profile insiders. While he said Ethereum remains a powerful protocol, these structural and social dynamics create ongoing challenges for long-term contributors seeking recognition, opportunities and principles within the network.

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“Do I think Ethereum is fixable? No, not really. I don’t see how any of this can be reversed. I feel like the Foundation has lied to it with no way of reversing it. I feel like Vitalik – with all his good intentions – has created the ruling elite that will never relinquish control, so you either play ball or get sidelined (at least they apparently pay well). As for Geth, I feel like we are considered a problem in the grand scheme of things in Ethereum – I am at the center of that problem myself – so I don’t really see a bright future for myself with my opposition to the problems I see.”