Vitalik Buterin Proposes Ethereum Foundation Restructuring, Reduced ETH Sales
On May 24, 2023, Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, shared a detailed 1,500-word post on X, presenting his outlook for the Ethereum Foundation (EF) and stressing the importance of sustainability and minimizing ETH sales. Currently, the EF possesses approximately 0.16% of all ETH, significantly less than the 10-50% held by competitors. Buterin pointed out that the EF was established with a limited focus, which was achieved in 2022. The newly introduced CROPS framework emphasizes censorship resistance, transparency, privacy, and security. The EF has started staking its treasury, with 99.1% of its reserves in ETH. In 2026, nine senior contributors departed, including Barnabé Monnot and Tim Beiko, while Tomasz Stańczak resigned as co-executive director in February. ETH has decreased by about 57%, dropping from nearly $5,000 to around $2,100.
Key facts
- Vitalik Buterin published a 1,500-word post on X on May 24 outlining his vision for the Ethereum Foundation's future.
- Buterin stated the EF is choosing to use its remaining resources to pursue longevity over breadth, resulting in reduced ETH sales.
- The EF holds roughly 0.16% of all ETH, well below the 10-50% common for rival blockchains.
- The new CROPS framework focuses on censorship resistance, openness, privacy, and security.
- Technical priorities include AI-assisted formal verification, leaner consensus mechanisms, FOCIL, and EIP-8141.
- At least nine senior contributors departed in 2026, including Barnabé Monnot, Tim Beiko, Carl Beek, Julian Ma, and Trent Van Epps.
- Tomasz Stańczak stepped down as co-executive director at the end of February after less than a year.
- Former EF researcher Dankrad Feist proposed a $1 billion independent organization focused on Ethereum's competitive market position.
Entities
Institutions
- Ethereum Foundation
- Nethermind
- Tempo
- CoinMarketCap
- NFT Plazas