Vitalik Buterin

On-chain analyses identified that Buterin had sold approximately 17,000 ETH in February 2026 while the price of ether was falling sharply, prompting criticism and allegations that he was increasing selling pressure.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Amid criticism from parts of the community concerning the Ethereum Foundation's leadership and effectiveness, Buterin defended Aya Miyaguchi and said that, during a transitional phase, he remained the person deciding the leadership's composition until a more formal governance structure was established.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

Community members criticised the Ethereum Foundation for regularly selling ETH to finance its expenses rather than generating on-chain returns, creating the image of a foundation 'selling' its own asset. Buterin explained why the EF had long hesitated to stake, particularly because of regulatory questions and neutrality during disputed forks.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Two Ethereum Foundation researchers acknowledged holding paid advisory positions at EigenLayer, a major restaking protocol, sparking controversy about conflicts of interest and the independence of Ethereum research. They subsequently relinquished those positions.

State of the evidence

Documented

Ether movements from addresses associated with Buterin to exchanges or organisations repeatedly triggered speculation that he was selling large amounts of his holdings. Buterin responded that he had not sold ETH for personal benefit since 2018 and that several transfers represented donations or spending by beneficiary organisations.

Attribution

Personally implicated

During periods of high demand, Ethereum fees reached levels that made some ordinary uses impractical. Buterin publicly acknowledged that the network had grown before it was sufficiently mature and that fees of tens or even hundreds of dollars contradicted the goal of accessibility.

State of the evidence

Admitted by the person

Buterin transferred SHIB with a theoretical value exceeding one billion dollars, along with other tokens, to the India Covid Crypto Relief fund. The sale or prospect of selling some of these assets caused a sharp fall in the affected memecoins and surprised communities that had sent enormous quantities of tokens to his wallet.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

An error in a Parity multisignature wallet library froze a very large amount of ether. The idea of a hard fork to restore the funds reignited the debate created by The DAO: should the blockchain's state be changed to correct losses arising from third-party software?

State of the evidence

Documented

A vulnerability in The DAO smart contract enabled the diversion of a massive quantity of ether. After intense debate, the Ethereum community adopted a hard fork restoring the funds, while a minority continued the original chain under the name Ethereum Classic. Buterin played a central role in technical communication and debate.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

Ethereum suffered a series of attacks exploiting underpriced gas operations and expanding the blockchain's state, causing slowdowns and heavy load on clients. The community responded with the EIP-150 and then Spurious Dragon hard forks.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility