- Buterin praised Polygon’s leadership in zero-knowledge Ethereum scaling technology.
- Nailwal returned $190M SHIB funds to support open pandemic research.
- Polygon urged to integrate ZK tech for stronger Ethereum chain security.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin publicly praised Polygon and its co-founder Sandeep Nailwal for their technical and humanitarian contributions. His remarks came amid discussions about Ethereum Foundation support for layer 2 developers.
Buterin said Polygon’s early work in zero-knowledge technology helped shape Ethereum’s scalability roadmap. He cited the project’s commitment to ZK-EVM research and its collaboration with developer Jordi Baylina’s team during early experimentation.
He stated, “Polygon put a lot of resources into ZK-EVM proving early on and greatly helped in moving the space forward.” Buterin also mentioned the creation of AggLayer, a framework designed to improve proof aggregation across networks.
Recognition for Humanitarian Work and Transparency
Besides technical development, Buterin recognized Nailwal’s humanitarian contributions. He mentioned Nailwal’s leadership in the CryptoRelief initiative, which supported India’s biomedical infrastructure during the pandemic.
He noted that Nailwal voluntarily returned SHIB tokens worth $190 million from Buterin’s donation. The funds later supported the Balvi open-source project that focuses on anti-pandemic research and indoor air safety. Buterin said the gesture advanced global health research “by years.”
Ongoing Tensions over Ethereum Support and Future Direction
Nailwal recently expressed concerns about limited Ethereum Foundation support for Polygon. He said the team had received “no direct support” despite building essential Ethereum scaling solutions. Nailwal also stated Polygon’s market value might be higher if positioned as a standalone chain.
Sonic Labs co-founder Andre Cronje echoed similar frustrations, saying he had “burned over 700 ETH” developing on Ethereum without grant assistance.
Buterin responded by reaffirming his appreciation for Polygon’s contributions. However, he added that Polygon could adopt “off-the-shelf” ZK proving systems to enhance its proof-of-stake chain security. He said transaction proving now costs as little as $0.0001, making integration feasible.
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