Vitalik Buterin Praises Polygon’s ZK Rollups and Scalability
- Vitalik Buterin applauds Polygon’s early zero-knowledge innovation and ecosystem.
- Sandeep Nailwal’s philanthropy earns praise, highlighting Polygon’s community values.
- Ethereum Layer-2 landscape heats up, with Polygon emerging as a cooperative ally.
Ethereum’s co-founder, Vitalik Buterin, has publicly reaffirmed Polygon’s place within the Ethereum scaling framework, describing its early pursuit of zero-knowledge (ZK) innovation as vital to the blockchain’s next phase. In a post on X, Buterin praised Polygon and its co-founder Sandeep Nailwal for building scalable systems, supporting complex decentralized applications, and sustaining open-source collaboration that benefits the wider ecosystem.
Polygon’s ZK-EVM and AggLayer Momentum
Buterin praised Polygon for its initial efforts in ZK-EVM proving and aggregation systems and recognized the team for “investing heavily in ZK-EVM proving from the start” and “advancing the whole field.” He referred to Polygon’s development of AggLayer, a framework for connecting various rollups and proofs, thus boosting Ethereum’s security and scalability.
He noted that “Polygon hosts Polymarket, which is probably the single most successful example of a ‘not just boring finance’ app that has provided value.” Buterin also mentioned that Polygon supports “plenty of other applications that have needed high levels of scalability,” recognizing its consistent ability to serve demanding workloads.
The AggLayer project is designed to unify ZK chains through shared liquidity and cross-proof validation. This direction, Buterin suggested, aligns with Ethereum’s goal of building a modular network where multiple rollups cooperate instead of competing for dominance. Polygon’s transition from its Proof-of-Stake chain toward a fully integrated ZK rollup model now appears both credible and strategically essential.
Nailwal’s Humanitarian Efforts Receive Recognition
Buterin’s message extended beyond technology. He also commended Sandeep Nailwal’s philanthropic work, referencing his leadership of CryptoRelief, a fund established to strengthen India’s biomedical research and pandemic response systems.
He revealed that Nailwal voluntarily returned $190 million in SHIB tokens from Buterin’s earlier donation, enabling the continuation of the Balvi open-source biotechnology program. Buterin said this action “possibly accelerated our understanding of important anti-pandemic topics like clean indoor air by years.”
He also mentioned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao’s $10 million contribution in BNB and added that he personally committed another $20 million to support the same initiative, noting that these funds were not derived from selling ETH.
Related: Vitalik Buterin Warns on Ethereum Governance Amid Clash With Thiel
A Shift in Ethereum’s Layer-2 Relationships
Buterin’s remarks come as competition among Layer-2 ecosystems such as Arbitrum, Optimism, and Base continues to intensify. His endorsement positions Polygon not as a rival but as a collaborative extension of Ethereum’s scaling infrastructure.
The acknowledgment of Polygon might help relieve the tension existing between the two parties for years and bring in collaboration in research and infrastructure development. Analysts from the industry think that such confirmation from Ethereum’s co-founder might speed up Polygon’s zk-rollup roadmap and strengthen the scalability model of Ethereum in the long run.
The news has also sparked a question: How will the new Layer-2 networks convince people of their trustworthiness and legitimacy in the new Ethereum ecosystem?
Ethereum is gradually transforming into a multi-rollup ecosystem, and Buterin’s recognition of Polygon thus signifies the replacement of competition with collaboration. The developer’s reputation for application performance, together with ZK breakthroughs, might set the new standard for partnerships between independent builders and Ethereum’s core vision.
