Vitalik Buterin Signals Ethereum Foundation Power Shift, Cuts ETH Sales

Ethereum cofounder Vitalik Buterin said the Ethereum Foundation (EF) is moving into a new phase that reduces his personal influence on the board, scales back ETH sales, and tightens the group's mission. He described the Foundation as a single participant in a much larger Ethereum ecosystem, not its central coordinator. Buterin said EF president Aya Miyaguchi is driving much of the transition, which he expects to settle into a steady state over the next few months. EF Steps Further Away From a "Central Coordinator" Role Buterin said the Foundation has been deliberately stepping back from the coordinating role many community members expected it to play, a move he linked in part to sustained criticism. Some critics argued the EF's actions did not consistently reflect the decentralization and privacy values Buterin has promoted publicly. He noted the EF controls about 0.16% of total ether outstanding, a smaller share than several individual holders. By contrast, foundations tied to rival chains often control 10% to 50% of supply. Buterin added that the Foundation's original 2014 mandate effectively concluded in 2022 after Ethereum completed major build phases spanning Frontier, Homestead, Metropolis, and Serenity. As part of the shift, the board is expanding to dilute any single member's influence, including Buterin's. The changes build on an earlier EF leadership restructuring plan aimed at streamlining decision-making and reducing concentrated authority. ETH Sales Reduced as EF Narrows Focus to "CROPS" With its remit redefined, the Foundation will concentrate on a smaller set of priorities Buterin grouped under "CROPS": censorship resistance, openness, privacy, and security. He said Ethereum should not try to compete with high-throughput chains purely on speed, where rivals already have an advantage. Instead, EF resources will be directed toward technical work other networks are less likely to attempt. In that context, he said the Foundation is prioritizing longevity over breadth, which includes selling less ETH. Buterin outlined several concrete priorities: - Provably bug-free Ethereum, potentially enabled by AI-assisted formal verification. - "Lean consensus," designed to preserve safety under asynchronous network conditions and in 49% attacker scenarios. - Reducing reliance on intermediaries through proposals such as FOCIL and EIP-8141. He also pointed to wallet-layer efforts such as Kohaku, aimed at reducing dependence on third-party servers. EF's earlier messaging around ETH sales this year aligned with this direction, and a treasury staking program has further reduced reliance on outright token sales. Outside Groups Expected to Fill Gaps As the Foundation narrows its scope, Buterin said outside organizations are expected to take on areas EF no longer prioritizes. This includes initiatives that support ETH as an asset, which was trading around $2,100 at the time of writing and falls outside what EF intends to fund directly. Buterin said nearly 90% of his net worth is held in ETH, with the rest allocated to open-source biotech, software, and hardware projects. He added that the Foundation will offer initial support to organizations stepping into roles it vacates, though he did not provide details on specific partnerships. EF's treasury report released earlier this year showed 99.1% of its reserves remain in ETH. Buterin said the transition should take several months, after which the new mandate is expected to stabilize into the Foundation's long-term form, aligned with the broader Ethereum 2026 vision.