Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin responded to growing criticisms of the Ethereum Foundation’s role, pushing back against calls for the organization to take a more active role in supporting token prices and marketing.
Buterin stated the foundation will continue focusing on promoting censorship-resistance, open source software, long-range research, cybersecurity, and decentralization of the Ethereum Protocol as per its mandate.
He emphasized, “EF is not a ‘center of Ethereum,’ rather EF is ‘one node, with a defined purpose, alongside other nodes.’” The foundation seeks to strengthen Ethereum’s cybersecurity and code base but not necessarily compete with high-throughput chains.
The comments follow several large ETH holders selling their entire positions and high-profile departures from the Ethereum Foundation as the cryptocurrency price sits at about $2,094, more than 50% below its all-time high of nearly $5,000 reached in August 2025.
Buterin noted that the EF holds only about 0.16% of all ETH, while other foundations typically hold 10-50% of their native tokens.
Cryptocurrency journalist Laura Shin criticized Ethereum’s tokenomics, citing the Dencun upgrade in March 2024 which reduced layer-2 fees but caused a collapse in base layer revenue.
Buterin said the Foundation would focus on longevity and stretch its funds to finance research, meaning it would sell less ETH going forward.