Ethereum cryptocurrency coin, blockchain concept

Key Takeaways:

Ethereum Geth lead Péter Szilágyi accused the Ethereum Foundation of undermining his team by secretly backing a separate Geth fork via Nethermind.
Szilágyi revealed the EF offered $5 million to spin out the original Geth team and allegedly dismissed him after he challenged these actions.
These allegations come amid EF’s broader restructuring, including layoffs, a shift in development priorities, and a new DeFi-based funding model.

Péter Szilágyi, lead developer of Ethereum’s Geth client, has accused the Ethereum Foundation (EF) of undermining his team and secretly supporting a rival group.

In a post on X, Szilágyi claimed the EF offered his team $5 million to spin out and form an independent company, which he and others declined.

I DARE you and the entire #Ethereum foundation to say that you didn't offer $5M for us to spin out. Or that EF didn't ask at least 3 times if we wanted to make a company instead and go off, just me and Felix and @mhswende pushed back. I dare @hwwonx to deny our Feb talk. https://t.co/s4eiLnYboP
— Péter Szilágyi (@peter_szilagyi) June 11, 2025

He also alleged that EF covertly funded a second Geth team through Nethermind, without informing the original Geth developers until he discovered it in late 2024.

Szilágyi said he was dismissed from EF after confronting a senior EF figure about the issue.

These claims surface amid a major shakeup at EF, including staff cuts and a shift in focus toward improving Ethereum scalability, blobspace, and user experience.

EF also introduced a new funding model, relying more on DeFi yield instead of selling ETH to fund operations.

The foundation promised to publish regular financial reports to improve transparency.

Szilágyi’s accusations have triggered concerns within the Ethereum community over governance transparency, internal communication, and the future of Ethereum’s core infrastructure during a pivotal phase of its evolution.