Vitalik said that ‘at the moment’ the contribution would yield a better return on investment.
Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin recently announced that he will not invest in Layer-2 projects and that all proceeds from selling Ether will be donated “to support public goods within the Ethereum ecosystem or a broader charity.”
Buterin's comments came in response to questions raised by users on X about recent cryptocurrency transfers. Cointelegraph recently reported that Buterin has been accused by crypto denizens of personally leaking millions of Ether (ETH) on social media. Profit. He went on to deny these allegations, saying, “All sales go to support various projects that I think are important.”
Source: Vitalik Buterin
Weeks later, on September 6, Buterin picked up the conversation by responding to user X who asked about the developer's investment policy. He expressed his value in giving money to organizations that align with Ethereum's values or are willing to continue its mission.
By Buterin:
There are other ways to benefit from giving money, eg. It can be a substitute for commitments to be a positive sum in certain ways for Ethereum and/or humanity and the value of that commitment can easily exceed 0.14% of the company.
Kelvin Santos, co-founder and CEO of cryptocurrency exchange QuiverTrade, wrote: “Wouldn't it be better to invest in projects you believe in, with positive externalities, and then reap the profits/returns in the future?”
Donations and investments
Buterin's response accepted Santos' observation but offered a different perspective on the idea of profit and return.
“The cyclical gain you describe is true, but at the moment it seems less profitable than taking an open position and increasing confidence that I'm not part of some conspiracy to bend the Ethereum protocol in a direction that favors arbitrary infra. /L2 tokens I hold.
In the same conversation, Buterin made it clear that he does not want to invest in Layer-2 or token projects other than Ethereum in the future. “My goal in giving money to projects is to support things that I think are important,” he wrote, “going forward I plan to do this solely through donations.”
Related: Vitalik Buterin: Bullish on Google's entry, bold on death stakes
