Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin recently disclosed that a significant portion of his personal wealth, approximately 90%, is held in Ethereum. This revelation came in response to online discussions about Ethereum’s role as a store of value and the Ethereum Foundation’s selling practices.
An influencer on social media suggested that Buterin and other core developers deliberately avoid discussing Ethereum as a store of value or programmable money. They perceive its monetary aspects as incidental and potentially risky to acknowledge publicly, especially in light of regulatory scrutiny.
Buterin countered this notion by stating, “If I did not believe in ETH as SOV I would not hold ~90% of my net worth in it.”
However, questions arose regarding the Ethereum Foundation’s frequent selling of Ether. Buterin defended these actions, highlighting the Foundation’s commitment to funding development efforts that benefit the Ethereum ecosystem. He specifically pointed to EIP-4844, a scaling upgrade spearheaded by Foundation-funded developers, which has reportedly saved users over $100 million in transaction fees.
Buterin further elaborated on the amount saved by users with the implementation of EIP-4844, arguing that in total, users saved 312 million dollars in 5 months. Therefore, he implies that the sale of the Ethereum Foundation is fair.