TL;DR
- Vitalik Buterin publicly praised Polygon and Sandeep Nailwal for their early investment in ZK-EVM development.
- Buterin highlighted the creation of key tools like AggLayer and the impact of applications like Polymarket on the network.
- The Ethereum co-founder also urged Polygon to adopt “off-the-shelf” ZK tech for its PoS chain.
Amid a weakened cryptocurrency market and notable uncertainty surrounding Bitcoin’s fundamentals, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin used his X account to express strong support for Polygon and its founder, Sandeep Nailwal.
The core of Vitalik Buterin’s praise for Polygon lies in its fundamental contributions to scaling Ethereum, especially its pioneering investment in ZK-EVM (Zero-Knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine) technology.
Buterin emphasized that Polygon is a “cornerstone” of Ethereum’s scalability, hosting innovative and high-throughput applications, such as the Polymarket platform, which has gained significant traction.
The Ethereum co-founder specifically applauded the development of AggLayer, a tool designed for proof aggregation, and Polygon’s early collaboration with Jording Bayliba’s team, which was crucial during the ZK ecosystem’s experimental phase.
These efforts, according to Buterin, reflect Polygon’s dedication to building innovative tools that strengthen the entire Ethereum ecosystem.
Beyond the Code: Humanitarian Effort and ZK Future
Vitalik Buterin’s praise for Polygon was not limited to technical advancements. He also highlighted the personal integrity and humanitarian drive of Sandeep Nailwal. Buterin recalled the CryptoRelief initiative, which used crypto assets to support India’s biomedical infrastructure during the health crisis.
In a gesture of notable integrity, Nailwal returned $190 million in SHIB tokens that Buterin had donated to the fund. Those funds were later redirected by Buterin to launch Balvi, an anti-pandemic project focused on indoor air safety.
Despite the applause, Buterin reflected on the future of ZK technology. He noted that the landscape has matured and that specialized ZK teams (like Risc Zero or Brevis) now work independently of L2 networks, which drives specialization.
In this new context, Buterin urged Polygon to adopt “off-the-shelf ZK tech” to enhance security within its Proof-of-Stake (PoS) chain and align with Ethereum’s vision for Layer 2 scalability. This recognition comes at a time of market weakness, with ETH and POL registering drops of up to 5% in the last 24 hours.
