Key Notes
- Andre Cronje criticized the EF for offering “zero support” to developers.
- He claims to have spent over 700 ETH on deployments.
- Polygon’s Sandeep Nailwal expressed similar dissatisfaction.
Andre Cronje, a prominent figure in decentralized finance, has publicly criticized the Ethereum Foundation (EF) for what he describes as a complete lack of support for developers building on the network.
Cronje said he has spent over 700 Ethereum ETH $3 923 24h volatility: 2.9% Market cap: $475.73 B Vol. 24h: $34.15 B on deployments and infrastructure without receiving any assistance or acknowledgment, resulting in a broader debate about the foundation’s role in supporting ecosystem builders.
“I tried contacting EF, never a response, no BD outreach, no grants, 0 support, not even a retweet,” Cronje said.
Cronje Calls Out Lack of Developer Support
In a post on X, Cronje questioned where the Ethereum Foundation’s resources were going, stating that despite burning hundreds of ETH, he has received no business development outreach, no grants, and no engagement of any kind.
I am confused. So who is EF paying/supporting? While building on ETH I have burned over 700 ETH on deployments and ETH infra. I tried contacting EF, never a response, no BD outreach, no grants, 0 support, not even a retweet. When I started helping out with Sonic eco I was… https://t.co/LmVqXWBXoU
— Andre Cronje (@AndreCronjeTech) October 21, 2025
He compared his experience to that of projects within the Sonic S $0.17 24h volatility: 3.6% Market cap: $653.90 M Vol. 24h: $68.40 M ecosystem, where teams often receive consistent funding, audits, and marketing assistance.
Polygon’s Nailwal Feels the Same
However, Cronje is not the only one who feels overlooked by Ethereum’s leadership. Polygon POL $0.20 24h volatility: 1.1% Market cap: $2.12 B Vol. 24h: $67.28 M co-founder Sandeep Nailwal expressed similar dissatisfaction with Ethereum’s institutional support.
Read this from Peter and realized that it’s time for me to also speak up.
NGL, I’ve 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 @VitalikButerin — someone I looked up… https://t.co/yrcrGEwXs8
— Sandeep | CEO, Polygon Foundation (※,※) (@sandeepnailwal) October 20, 2025
Nailwal said that despite Polygon’s crucial role in scaling Ethereum, the foundation has provided direct support to his team and has often failed to recognize Polygon’s layer-2 contributions.
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He alleged that the Ethereum community “ensures Polygon is never considered an L2.”
“When Polymarket wins big, it’s ‘Ethereum,’ but Polygon itself is not Ethereum. Mind-boggling,” said Nailwal.
Buterin Responds
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin later responded, thanking Polygon for its early efforts in zero-knowledge technology and its ongoing work in integrating scaling solutions. He also acknowledged the real-world impact of Polygon’s community-driven initiatives like CryptoRelief.
Buterin credited Polygon for the success of Polymarket, which he called one of the most successful non-financial Ethereum applications.
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 explained that many L2 teams are now separating from ZK teams, allowing specialized expertise to flourish in each domain. He said that he remains optimistic that Polygon could soon adopt off-the-shelf ZK systems to achieve full Ethereum Layer 2 security guarantees.
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