Ethereum Drama: Polygon CEO Flips the Script – Should We All Be Loyal to ETH Anymore?

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Polygon CEO Sandeep Nailwal is seriously questioning his loyalty to Ethereum amid some serious internal drama.

So, Sandeep Nailwal, the oh-so-loyal co-founder of Polygon, is now wondering if he’s been a little too faithful to Ethereum. I mean, who saw this coming? 😱

Nailwal, the brain behind Polygon, is apparently fed up with the Ethereum ecosystem not giving his platform the love it deserves. His comments have sparked a fiery debate about how Ethereum treats its partners and whether the whole blockchain community is just one big mess at this point.

Polygon’s Rising Frustration with Ethereum Foundation

On X (formerly Twitter), Nailwal casually dropped the bomb that he’s starting to doubt everything he once thought about Ethereum. A little dramatic? Maybe. But then again, he’s spent a lot of time championing Ethereum, so we get it. 😅

“I’ve always felt moral loyalty toward Ethereum, even if it costs me billions in Polygon’s valuation,” he said. Well, isn’t that sweet? Almost like a rom-com, but with crypto. 💔

But here’s the kicker-Polygon hasn’t gotten much help from the Ethereum Foundation (EF), and if anything, it’s been the opposite. The whole ‘we’re in this together’ vibe? Yeah, not so much. 😬

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 – someone I looked up…

– Sandeep | CEO, Polygon Foundation (※,※) (@sandeepnailwal)

Despite all of Polygon’s alignment with Ethereum, the community has treated it like the awkward third wheel. “The Ethereum community as a whole has been a mess for quite some time,” said Nailwal. Ouch. 😬

The Ethereum Foundation: A Leadership Crisis?

This whole debacle comes just as other Ethereum veterans are throwing shade at the Foundation’s leadership. Péter Szilágyi, a core dev, even wrote a letter calling out the EF for poor leadership. Apparently, EF isn’t great at recognizing the hardworking folks who aren’t in it for the bling.

Szilágyi’s letter resurfaced recently and honestly, it’s like a Netflix drama. People feel underpaid and unappreciated. “Almost all the early employees have left because that was the only reasonable way to get compensated fairly,” he wrote. Classic. 😒

He even quoted Vitalik Buterin’s famous (and slightly controversial) quote: “if someone’s not complaining that they are paid too little, then they are paid too much.” Spoiler: that does not encourage loyalty. 💸

Is Polygon’s Effort Finally Being Recognized?

Nailwal’s frustration goes beyond the personal-he believes Ethereum’s Foundation has failed to back teams like Polygon, which have been instrumental in scaling Ethereum’s network. Polygon is basically doing Ethereum’s heavy lifting… for a much smaller paycheck. 🙄

“If we had branded Polygon as a layer 1, we’d likely be valued two to five times higher,” Nailwal said. Well, someone’s not shy about saying what’s on their mind. 💡

But when Polygon succeeds, it’s like, “Oh, that’s Ethereum’s work.” But when Polygon stumbles, it’s like “meh, let’s forget about that.” Typical. 😑

Vitalik’s Response (and Slight Shade)

So, Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum’s co-founder and self-proclaimed crypto genius, had a response. He praised Polygon’s zkEVM tech and Polymarket. So, he’s not totally against them-there’s hope. But let’s just say he didn’t exactly apologize for the EF’s behavior. 🙄

I really appreciate both ‘s personal contributions and ‘s immensely valuable role in the ethereum ecosystem.

To recap:

* Polygon hosts , which is probably the single most successful example of a “not just boring finance” app that has actually…

– vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin)

Vitalik did also give a little nod to Nailwal’s charity work with CryptoRelief. So, there’s that. But don’t get too excited-he also pointed out that Polygon’s lack of a “proof system” means it’s not a “true” layer 2. Shots fired. 🔥

And here’s the kicker-Buterin thinks Polygon could easily integrate a ZK tech stack for full security. Which, by the way, could cost as little as $0.0001 per transaction. Cheap, huh? 🤑

Nailwal has yet to respond. Maybe he’s too busy counting his billions. 💰

Ethereum’s Identity Crisis Is Real

This little drama highlights a bigger issue for Ethereum: Who’s really in charge? With so many developers and scaling projects popping up, people are starting to wonder who the true Ethereum gatekeepers are. Spoiler: it’s not as clear as we thought. 🤔

One blockchain researcher summed it up nicely: “It’s hard to tell who speaks for Ethereum anymore.” Yikes. Talk about an identity crisis. 😳

“That creates friction when builders expect recognition from a foundation that no longer directly manages most of the innovation.” Basically, Ethereum needs to figure out who’s wearing the pants here. 👖

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2025-10-21 21:18