Ethereum core developer angrily criticized Vitalik for the concentration of power, while Polygon CEO bluntly stated that the community is "in chaos".

Ethereum core developer Péter Szilágyi publicly released a letter to the ETH Foundation, sharply criticizing founder Vitalik Buterin and his “core circle” for having excessive influence over development decisions, accusing the ecosystem of lacking open, performance-based evaluations. Subsequently, Polygon CEO Sandeep Nailwal harshly criticized the Ethereum community as a “shit show” and expressed deep disappointment over the marginalization of significant contributors like Polygon. In the face of strong community backlash, Vitalik Buterin urgently published a message praising the contributions of Polygon and its CEO, attempting to conduct damage control and emphasizing the importance of Layer-2 networks for Ethereum's future scalability.

Core Developers Blast: Vitalik “Core Interest Group” Controls Ethereum

The letter from Ethereum core developer Péter Szilágyi was revealed at the moment Vitalik Buterin announced the significant cryptographic proof upgrade for Ethereum, directly pushing the controversy of community governance to the forefront.

· Accusation of power concentration: Szilágyi pointed out that the vast majority of Ethereum-related projects are actually controlled by “5 to 10 key individuals and 1 to 3 venture capital firms,” describing this group as a “Vitalik-centered interest group.”

· Lack of fair mechanisms: He claimed that the success of major groups in the ecosystem depends on their proximity to core groups rather than open, performance-based evaluations.

· Triggered a Discussion on Transparency: This disclosure immediately sparked a new round of intense discussions in the Ethereum community regarding governance, transparency, and the degree of decentralization. Szilágyi's questioning of core development decisions and ecological resource allocation touched upon the decentralized core spirit of Ethereum as the “world computer.”

Polygon CEO Criticizes: ETH Community is “a Mess”, Contributors are Marginalized

After the letter from Szilágyi was made public, Polygon CEO Sandeep Nailwal followed up by expressing strong dissatisfaction with the Ethereum community, even questioning his loyalty to Ethereum.

· Community Criticism: Nailwal bluntly pointed out that the broader Ethereum ecosystem has become “a mess,” with even major contributors like him frequently questioning the necessity of participation.

· Lack of support: He mentioned that Polygon has received almost no direct support from the Ethereum Foundation or its core technology community.

· “Socialist behavior”: Nailwal attributes this issue to the social dynamics of ETH and “socialist behavior,” believing that such behavior often marginalizes projects like Polygon that make significant contributions to the ecosystem.

· Unrecognized achievement: His main dissatisfaction is that insiders of Ethereum have failed to acknowledge that Polygon PoS is a part of the Ethereum Layer-2 ecosystem. In contrast, projects associated with Ethereum, such as Polymarket built on Polygon, are celebrated as success stories of Ethereum.

· Rethinking Positioning: Nailwal even claimed that if Polygon positions itself as a Layer 1 blockchain, its valuation could be “2 to 5 times higher.” Nonetheless, he stated that he would still “make one last effort” to restore the Layer-2 narrative and urged the Ethereum community to reflect on why the main contributors are increasingly feeling alienated.

V God “Firefighter”: Praise for Polygon's Contributions, Emphasize the Importance of ZK Upgrades

After a significant rebound in the community, founder Vitalik Buterin quickly took “damage control” actions, publicly praising Polygon and its CEO Sandeep Nailwal.

· Recognizing Layer-2 Value: Buterin posted on X platform, praising Polygon's lasting impact on the Ethereum ecosystem in terms of scalability and innovation. He understands that to achieve the goal of 10x Ethereum scalability within a year, key players like Nailwal are indispensable.

· Charitable Recognition: Buterin particularly praised Sandeep Nailwal's charitable efforts, mentioning that Nailwal decided to return 190 million USD from the SHIB profits previously donated by Buterin, which facilitated the launch of the open-source biotechnology project Balvi focused on research into airborne diseases.

· ZK Technology Outlook: Regarding Polygon's ZK (Zero-Knowledge) roadmap, Buterin affirmed the project's early efforts during the “early” stage of the technology. He suggested that Polygon could quickly adopt “off-the-shelf” ZK technology to upgrade its PoS chain to gain full Ethereum L1 security guarantees, and emphasized that the cost of ZK proofs has dropped to about $0.0001 per transaction.

Conclusion

The public criticism from Ethereum core developers and the CEO of Polygon reveals the deep-seated contradictions faced by the Ethereum ecosystem in terms of decentralized governance and community inclusivity. Although Vitalik Buterin acted swiftly and highly affirmed the strategic value of Polygon's approach to Ethereum's scalability, it remains to be seen whether this “firefighting” letter can truly quell community dissatisfaction and repair the trust rift between the core circle and external contributors. This incident forces the Ethereum community to confront the risks of excessive centralization and to think about how to more fairly incentivize and recognize all valuable contributions within the ecosystem.

Disclaimer: This article is for news information only and does not constitute any investment advice. The cryptocurrency market is highly volatile, and investors should make cautious decisions.