The pressure is increasing a notch on the crypto market. While the price of Ethereum struggles to regain its momentum, the Ethereum Foundation (EF) is facing an unprecedented revolt from investors and developers. Accused of passivity and of driving down the price of ETH through its repeated sales, the organization saw its co-founder Vitalik Buterin step up to the plate this Sunday, May 24, 2026 to impose a radical strategic shift. His response is already dividing the ecosystem.
In brief
- Vitalik Buterin reaffirms that the EF is one node among others, not the central driver of Ethereum.
- The organization controls only 0.16% of Ethereum's supply, ensuring maximum decentralization compared to competing blockchains.
- The Foundation plans to sell less ETH and adopt more conservative management of its assets.
EF is not the center of Ethereum
In a long message published on X, Vitalik Buterin Firmly reframes the institutional vision of the Foundation. For him, the structure is never intended to manage Ethereum from the top. It is a node among others with a defined role.
This assumed positioning contrasts with the expectations of a part of the community which wants a more aggressive foundation on:
- marketing;
- support for the price of the ETH token.
Buterin is therefore categorical: the Ethereum Foundation will continue to focus on long-term research, cybersecurity, censorship resistance and protocol decentralization. Its priority is in no way about the race for performance or the commercial battle with other blockchains.
Among the arguments brandished by critics: the Foundation holds too little ETH to influence its destiny. Buterin provides supporting figures. The Ethereum Foundation holds only 0.16% of the total circulating ETH supply. For comparison, other blockchain foundations typically retain between 10 and 50% of their native token.
A reality often ignored in debates, which nevertheless changes everything when reading the situation.
Fewer ETH sales and priority to longevity: what happens next will change everything
To ease tensions, Vitalik Buterin announces concrete actions. The Ethereum Foundation will reduce its lifestyle and its ETH sales to favor longevity. In May, the organization withdrew 21,270 ETH from the Lido staking protocol. Enough to initiate a major restructuring of its cash flow.
The remaining money will be massively injected into pure research and development of a Ethereum code completely bug-free, potentially thanks to AI-assisted checks. Buterin himself sets an example by recalling that 90% of his personal fortune remains blocked in ETH.
Important clarification: this de-staking does not mean an imminent sale of these tokens, but rather a strategic reorganization of its Ethereum cash.
One thing is certain: Buterin's speech does not end the debate. The question is no longer just technical. It is strategic, economic and deeply human. And the response that the ecosystem will provide in the coming months could redefine Ethereum's place in the global crypto landscape.
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