Buterin said he plans to deploy the 16,384 ETH gradually over the coming years rather than spend it immediately. Meanwhile, he said he may add to the pool through decentralized staking strategies that generate staking rewards.
In his post, he referenced prior support for efforts tied to open silicon, privacy-preserving software, and secure hardware. The statement also cited work involving encrypted communications and local-first systems.
Further details tied to the announcement described “full-stack openness and verifiability” across several domains. The scope included finance, communications, governance systems, operating systems, blockchain infrastructure, and secure hardware.
The report also mentioned support for initiatives focused on open silicon and privacy platforms. It cited techniques such as zero-knowledge proofs and fully homomorphic encryption, but it did not provide project-level funding amounts.
ETH’s recent price trend provided context around the timing. CoinGecko data cited in the text placed ETH near $3,900 in November 2025 and slightly above $2,700 at the time of writing. That reflects a decline of about 30% in roughly three months.
However, Vitalik Buterin did not attribute the Ethereum Foundation’s “mild austerity” posture to ETH’s price moves. He framed the shift as a strategic decision about long-term priorities and resource allocation.
Looking ahead, the plan calls for multi-year deployment rather than immediate spending. In addition, Buterin said staking rewards could supplement the funding pool, which could affect the pace and scale of supported work while the Ethereum Foundation keeps its focus on Ethereum’s core development.
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