{"id":90106,"date":"2025-10-21T16:01:22","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T13:01:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/?p=90106"},"modified":"2025-10-21T16:05:42","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T13:05:42","slug":"polygon-co-founder-criticizes-ethereums-leadership-and-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/polygon-co-founder-criticizes-ethereums-leadership-and-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Polygon Co-Founder Criticizes Ethereum&#8217;s Leadership and Community"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Co-founder of <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-polygon-matic\">Polygon<\/a>, Sandeep Nailwal, has criticized the leadership of the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, stating that its community has &#8220;turned into a circus.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Read this from Peter and realized that it&#8217;s time for me to also speak up.<\/p>\n<p>NGL, I\u2019ve 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 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VitalikButerin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@VitalikButerin<\/a> \u2014 someone I looked up\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/yrcrGEwXs8\">https:\/\/t.co\/yrcrGEwXs8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Sandeep | CEO, Polygon Foundation (\u203b,\u203b) (@sandeepnailwal) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/sandeepnailwal\/status\/1980367655937929392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 20, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>&#8220;Honestly, I&#8217;ve started questioning my loyalty to Ethereum,&#8221; he admitted.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Nailwal added that this loyalty has cost Polygon billions of dollars due to its refusal to position itself as a first-layer blockchain. According to him, if it had gained independence, the network&#8217;s market value could have increased several times over.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Despite its key contributions to the ecosystem, the Ethereum community refuses to recognize Polygon as a full-fledged <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-a-layer%e2%80%912-solution-in-blockchain\">L2<\/a> solution and include it in its &#8220;investment narrative.&#8221; Nailwal claims this creates a paradox: the successes of the Polygon-based platform <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-polymarket\">Polymarket<\/a> are attributed to Ethereum, while Polygon itself remains in the shadows.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>&#8220;However, I am stubborn and unyielding. I will make one last push that might reboot the entire L2 agenda. Just bear with me for a few more weeks,&#8221; he stated.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The expert emphasized that &#8220;the Ethereum community should reflect,&#8221; referring to a post by key developer P\u00e9ter Szil\u00e1gyi. Earlier, Szil\u00e1gyi also <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/ethereum-developer-highlights-centralisation-around-buterin\">criticized<\/a> the project, pointing to the centralization of power around Vitalik Buterin.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is the community saying?\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p>Many leaders in the crypto industry have supported Nailwal. Bankless co-founder Ryan Adams <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RyanSAdams\/status\/1980399620917194991\">wrote<\/a>:\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>&#8220;Polygon is a fantastic project that has done a lot for Ethereum. I would, of course, like its <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/proof-of-stake-how-it-works-and-why-it-is-so-popular\"><em>PoS<\/em><\/a><em> chain to eventually become a <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-are-rollups-and-how-do-they-scale-ethereum\"><em>rollup<\/em><\/a><em>, but even if that doesn&#8217;t happen, it doesn&#8217;t negate the fact that Polygon has greatly benefited the ecosystem.&#8221;\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Solana co-founder Raj Gokal <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/rajgokal\/status\/1980378969255051333\">suggested<\/a> that Nailwal join forces with Solana. A similar opinion was <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Austin_Federa\/status\/1980389665770455069\">expressed<\/a> by former Solana Foundation strategy head Austin Federa.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Clamp crypto index project creator Abhishek Yadav <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/abhixh\/status\/1980381324121895328\">noted<\/a> that Polygon needs to clearly define its strategic position and focus on developing as an independent first-layer blockchain.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>&#8220;Polygon&#8217;s success is considered Ethereum&#8217;s success, but the platform itself does not receive the recognition it deserves. This project did the main work of attracting developers and users to the <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-the-ethereum-virtual-machine-evm\"><em>EVM<\/em><\/a><em> ecosystem after the pandemic, but it has never been properly appreciated,&#8221; he added.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The issue of opaque support distribution from the EF was echoed by the founder of several <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/andre-cronjes-project-secures-200-million-for-defi-exchange-2\">DeFi projects<\/a>, Andre Cronje. He emphasized that during the creation of Sonic (formerly <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-fantom-ftm\">Fantom<\/a>) on Ethereum, he received no grants or even minimal feedback from the foundation.\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>&#8220;I was surprised. Most teams receive direct support, help with <span data-descr=\"total value locked\" class=\"old_tooltip\">TVL<\/span> and audits. I thought that&#8217;s how it worked everywhere. But if support isn&#8217;t going to key developers and the most active L2 supporters like Polygon, then where are the resources going?&#8221; the expert commented.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Buterin also responded to Nailwal&#8217;s remarks. The Ethereum co-founder acknowledged Polygon&#8217;s achievements, highlighting Polymarket as the largest prediction market platform and successes in developing <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/polygon-zkevm-team-launches-independent-startup-zisk\">zk-EVM<\/a> technologies.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I really appreciate both <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/sandeepnailwal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@sandeepnailwal<\/a>&#8216;s personal contributions and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/0xPolygon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@0xPolygon<\/a>&#8216;s immensely valuable role in the ethereum ecosystem.<\/p>\n<p>To recap:<\/p>\n<p>* Polygon hosts <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Polymarket?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Polymarket<\/a>, which is probably the single most successful example of a &#8220;not just boring finance&#8221; app that has actually\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VitalikButerin\/status\/1980453161862414760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 21, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Buterin separately emphasized Nailwal&#8217;s personal integrity. Nailwal voluntarily <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/indian-covid-relief-fund-returns-part-of-vitalik-buterins-donations\">returned<\/a> $190 million of donated SHIB tokens to him and participated in the development of the CryptoRelief initiative, which funds biomedical infrastructure and scientific research in India.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>&#8220;Personally, I hope that in the near future Polygon can simply take ready-made ZK solutions, which have now become quite advanced, and apply them to its PoS chain to gain full first and subsequently second-layer guarantees from Ethereum,&#8221; he concluded.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The debates have unfolded against the backdrop of key technical specialists leaving the Ethereum Foundation. In January, Eric Conner <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/another-key-ethereum-developer-departs-the-project\">left<\/a> the project, citing issues with EF leadership. In October, Dankrad Feist <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/tempo-valued-at-5-billion-following-500-million-funding-round\">announced<\/a> his move to Tempo.<\/p>\n<p>Developer Federico Carrone <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/developer-warns-corporations-could-undermine-ethereum\">stated<\/a> that the growing influence of venture funds like Paradigm poses a serious threat to the ecosystem of the second-largest cryptocurrency.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Co-founder of Polygon, Sandeep Nailwal, criticized the leadership of the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, stating that its community has &#8220;turned into a circus.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":90107,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"select":"1","news_style_id":"1","cryptorium_level":"","_short_excerpt_text":"Nailwal promised a \"final push\" that could reboot the L2 agenda.","creation_source":"","_metatest_mainpost_news_update":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[46,1264,200],"class_list":["post-90106","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-ethereum","tag-polygon-matic","tag-vitalik-buterin"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"views":"186","promo_type":"1","layout_type":"1","short_excerpt":"Nailwal promised a \"final push\" that could reboot the L2 agenda.","is_update":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90106","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90106"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90106\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":90108,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90106\/revisions\/90108"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/90107"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90106"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90106"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90106"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}