- Vitalik Buterin has labeled some crypto community members as “actively toxic”
- Buterin said a section of the community is hostile to top developers steering the Ethereum blockchain to achieve its mission
- Buterin also asserted himself as the sole decision-maker in appointing leaders to head the Ethereum Foundation
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin considers some crypto community members “actively toxic” towards people appointed to advance Ethereum’s vision. Buterin also said he’s the one to decide who gets a seat at the Ethereum Foundation leadership as the foundation awaits the formation of a “proper board.” The Ethereum co-founder’s recent remarks come as some people in the crypto community lament how the foundation is run, and a few days after he said EF’s leadership is undergoing changes to make it more community-oriented.
Keeping “The Pressure On” Won’t Help
In an X post, Buterin said a section of the crypto community is harassing Ethereum developers on social media platforms, adding that it’s making his job harder. The Ethereum executive noted that the community is trying to influence his pick on who makes it to the Ethereum Foundation team.
No. This is not how this game works.
The person deciding the new EF leadership team is me. One of the goals of the ongoing reform is to give the EF a “proper board”, but until that happens it’s me.
If you “keep the pressure on”, then you are creating an environment that is…
— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) January 21, 2025
He clarified that he’s the only “person deciding the new EF leadership,” adding that keeping “the pressure on” won’t change his decisions. Buterin defended the current Ethereum Foundation’s director Aya Miyaguchi saying that the “attack against [her] is not even correct” saying that it was “pure evil.”
Buterin is taking an offensive stand with a section of the crypto community claiming that the Ethereum community has lost its way due to its failure to evolve with changing community and political needs.
Ethereum Foundation Needs To Be Proactive
Anthony DOnofrio, an Ethereum founding member, for example, said that the foundation needs to shift from being reactive to “a proactive visionary force.”
DOnofrio also noted that the foundation needs to create compliance and innovation frameworks while maintaining political neutrality. This observation aligns with Buterin’s vision of distancing Ethereum from “powerful political figures.”
We are indeed currently in the process of large changes to EF leadership structure, which has been ongoing for close to a year. Some of this has already been executed on and made public, and some is still in progress.
What we’re trying to achieve is primarily the following…
— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) January 18, 2025
With the restructuring of the Ethereum Foundation attracting the community’s interest, it’s to be seen how long Buterin will take to make the changes.
