Szilágyi believes that most projects in the Ethereum ecosystem are controlled by one to three venture capital firms and five to ten people from Buterin's inner circle.
Ethereum is secretly controlled by Buterin, says developer Peter Szilágyi. They have formed a small group on which the success of all cryptocurrency projects depends, the developer asserts.
Szilágyi is conflicted about his role in the Ethereum Foundation, as the public image of his leadership "doesn't correspond at all to reality." According to the developer, the Ethereum Foundation uses his reputation to demonstrate a diversity of opinions, while his real control is "behind closed doors."
As Szilágyi put it, he is perceived as a leader only because for the past nine years, he has publicly supported Geth's image and has not been afraid to criticize those in power. But every time he has stood up to influential insiders, more and more voices have risen in their defense, the group's leader lamented. The Ethereum Foundation treats developers as expendable, and although the Geth team is one of the oldest in the Ethereum ecosystem, its role is undervalued, Szilágyi complains.
Despite Ethereum's market capitalization growing to over $460 billion, the Ethereum Foundation unfairly pays developers, Szilágyi complains. Over six years, his total salary was $625,000 before taxes and benefits. Szilágyi cited this as evidence that employees are underpaid while others profit. The foundation thus forces conscientious developers to seek external sources of income. Szilágyi cited two Ethereum researchers, Justin Drake and Dankrad Feist, as consultants for external projects, which essentially constitutes a conflict of interest.
The developer concluded that Ethereum may be decentralized, but Buterin controls it completely and indirectly. Ethereum was originally conceived as an ecosystem with equal opportunities for everyone, but it later evolved into a "ruling elite of friends and investors" who will never relinquish control and will continue to operate under the principle of "play or be pushed out," the disgruntled developer stated.