Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin Responds to Allegations of Excessive Control By ETH Inner Circle

Ethereum core developer Péter Szilágyi has publicly shared a letter he sent to the ETH Foundation, slamming founder Vitalik Buterin and a small inner circle for weilding execessive influence. The matter got serious with Polygon CEO Sandeep Nailwal called the ETH community a ‘shit show’. Buterin has reponded to this developments, in what seems a damage control after major community backlash.

Ethereum Core Developer Slams Vitalik Buterin

Péter Szilágyi, a core developer of the ETH ecosystem has shared his letter written to the Ethereum Foundation criticizing Vitalik Buterin and his inner circle for having excessive control over the development decisions. This letter revealation comes as Buterin announced a major ETH upgrade that enables cryptographic proofs within the ecosystem..

In the letter, Szilágyi alleged that most Ethereum-related projects are effectively controlled by a group of 5–10 key individuals and 1–3 venture capital firms. He described this as a “Vitalik-centric interest group.”

Szilágyi alleged that the success of major groups within the ecosystem depends on their proximity to the core group instead of an open, merit-based evaluation. The disclosure has sparked renewed discussion within the Ethereum community about governance, transparency, and decentralization.

Polygon CEO Calls ETH Community A Shit Show

Following Peter’s letter, Polygon CEO Sandeep Nailwal also shared deep frustration with the ETH community. He said that he has begun to question his “loyalty toward Ethereum” despite his long-standing support for the network.

Nailwal added that the broader Ethereum ecosystem has become “a shit show,” where even major contributors routinely question their involvement. He noted that Polygon has received little to no direct support from the Ethereum Foundation or its core technical community. Mailwal blamed ETH’s social dynamics and “socialistic behavior” which often marginalize projects like Polygon that have made significant contributions to the ecosystem.

In a major blame, the Polygon CEO also stressed that insiders within the ETH community fail to recognize Polygon PoS as part of the Ethereum Layer-2 ecosystem. He also said that Ethereum-linked projects like Polymarket, built on Polygon, are celebrated as Ethereum successes.

Nailwal further argued that Polygon’s valuation could be “2–5x higher” if it branded itself as a Layer 1 blockchain. He added that he remains committed to giving “a final push” to restore the Layer-2 narrative. The Polygon CEO also urged the Ethereum community to reflect on why major contributors increasingly feel alienated.

Vitalik Buterin On A Damage Control Mode

Following the recent shap attack on ETH community, founder Vitalik Buterin has been in a damage control mode. In his latest post on X, Buterin commended Polygon and its co-founder Sandeep Nailwal for their lasting impact on both the Ethereum ecosystem.

He listed the Layer-2 network’s controution in areas of scalability and innovation. Buterin understands that to reach his goal of attaining 10x ETH scalability in a year’s time, he needs players like Nailwal by his side.

Buterin also expressed deep appreciation for Sandeep Nailwal’s philanthropic initiatives. He noted that Nailwal’s decision to return $190 million in SHIB proceeds from Buterin’s earlier donation enabled the launch of Balvi, an open-source biotech program focused on anti-airborne disease research.

On Polygon’s ZK roadmap, Buterin acknowledged the project’s early efforts when the technology was “too early for production.” Buterin suggested that Polygon could soon adopt “off-the-shelf” ZK technology to upgrade its PoS chain with full Ethereum L1 security guarantees, emphasizing that ZK proving costs have dropped to roughly $0.0001 per transaction.