Vitalik Buterin responds after ETH core dev and Polygon CEO criticize centralization and lack of support within the Ethereum community.
Vitalik Buterin has addressed growing concerns over centralization within Ethereum’s development process.
The response follows public criticism from Ethereum core developer Péter Szilágyi and Polygon CEO Sandeep Nailwal, both of whom expressed frustration with the Ethereum Foundation and its leadership. The statements have reignited debate over governance and the influence of key individuals in the Ethereum ecosystem.
Core Developer Questions Ethereum’s Power Structure
Péter Szilágyi, a longtime Ethereum core developer, released a letter to the Ethereum Foundation accusing a small group of dominating decisions. He claimed that most key developments are shaped by a “Vitalik-centric interest group” made up of 5–10 individuals and a few venture capital firms.
Ethereum core developer Péter Szilágyi revealed a letter he sent to the Ethereum Foundation leadership last year, criticizing Vitalik Buterin’s excessive influence and claiming that most projects are controlled by a small circle of 5–10 people and 1–3 venture capital firms behind…
— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) October 21, 2025
Szilágyi stated that proximity to the core group often holds more weight than merit-based contributions.
He raised concerns about transparency and the lack of open governance, urging the Foundation to address these structural issues. The letter arrived around the same time Vitalik Buterin announced a major Ethereum upgrade focused on cryptographic proofs.
Polygon CEO Voices Concerns Over Community Dynamics
Following Szilágyi’s comments, Polygon co-founder and CEO Sandeep Nailwal shared similar frustration.
In a post on X, he said he was questioning his loyalty to ETH. Nailwal criticized the community’s treatment of major contributors and said it often ignores the role of projects like Polygon in Ethereum’s success.
He also pointed out that Polygon has received little direct support from Ethereum’s core team.
Nailwal argued that internal dynamics have led to the marginalization of important Layer-2 projects. He claimed that Polygon would be valued “2–5x higher” if it had positioned itself as a separate Layer-1 chain.
Nailwal added that Ethereum-based projects built on Polygon, such as Polymarket, are sometimes miscredited as Ethereum-native efforts while overlooking the network behind them.
Buterin Responds With Praise for Polygon and Nailwal
Vitalik Buterin has responded to the criticism by acknowledging the value of Polygon and the work of Sandeep Nailwal. In a post on X, Buterin praised Polygon’s contributions to Ethereum scalability and innovation, particularly in zero-knowledge (ZK) rollups.
I really appreciate both @sandeepnailwal's personal contributions and @0xPolygon's immensely valuable role in the ethereum ecosystem.
To recap:
* Polygon hosts @Polymarket, which is probably the single most successful example of a "not just boring finance" app that has actually…
— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) October 21, 2025
Buterin said the network plays an essential role in the push for 10x scalability within the next year. He also praised Nailwal’s past philanthropic contributions, including his role in launching the Balvi fund, which supports public health research.
He concluded by noting that Polygon’s ZK roadmap was early but important. Besides, he suggested that new developments in ZK technology could help Polygon upgrade its PoS chain with full ETH Layer-1 security, offering cost-efficient and secure transactions.
