Brains don’t work? Ethereum Foundation under fire for repeated ETH sales

Ethereum is off to a rocky start in 2025, and its vibrant developer community is not happy. According to reports, the Ethereum Foundation has recently moved a substantial amount of Ether. The foundation’s dealings in moving and selling its tokens became more complicated when one of its employees attempted to explain the situation, generating widespread backlash.

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Recent Ethereum transactions have taken place since Bitcoin and other top tokens roamed the charts. On the price side, Ethereum is trading between $3,200 and $3,384, which is too far from the 2021 high of $4,870.

What’s new, Ethereum Foundation?

The Ethereum Foundation, the main organization supporting blockchain development, is not helping the cause. Regardless of its intention or overarching goals of mass offloading of ETH slices, these measures still leave a bad taste in the mouths of most holders and supporters.

According to a recent article from Spot On Chain on Twitter/X, the foundation recently transferred an additional 100 ETH in exchange for 336,475 DAI. According to the account, the foundation sold 200 ETH tokens for $67,000 in the first days of 2025, at an average cost of $3,361. The account adds that ETH is 31% below its 2021 high of $4,878, while Bitcoin continues to retest its highs and has currently surpassed the $109,000 level.

(ATTENTION) The Ethereum Foundation has just sold 100 more $ETH for 336,475 $DAI!

In total they sold 200 $ETH ($672,000) in 2025 at an average price of $3,361 over the last 12 days.$ETH remains 31% below its 2021 ATH of $4,878, while $BTC reached a new ATH of $109,000 today!… https://t.co/9CWWVsrfhj pic.twitter.com/ZOr504i1HG

– Spot on the channel (@spotonchain) January 20, 2025

Comments from Ether supporters spark negative feedback

The foundation’s latest transaction, the 100 token sale, took place after Josh Stark’s comments came to light. Stark, a popular ETH supporter, defended the foundation’s decision to sell these ETH tokens, arguing that they are still actively using the blockchain’s native token.

the EF uses Ethereum all the time, for example to (1) exchange ETH for stables (usually @CoWSwap) and (2) to pay people (beneficiaries, team members) in stables and ETH, on mainnet and L2s. The events we host (like Devcon and Devconnect) accept on-chain payments and use on-chain ID for tickets.

-Josh Stark (@0xstark) January 20, 2025

In a post on Twitter/X, Stark explained that the foundation uses his tokens every time. These tokens purchase stablecoins, pay their employees in stablecoins, and support blockchain events.

Stark’s comments did not sit well with some crypto observers and commentators. Twitter/X user WazzCrypto criticized Stark for using the ETH “dump” as an explanation for taking over the foundation’s transactions. User @VelvetMilkman was disappointed with Stark, arguing that it was a lame excuse to use altcoins.

Meanwhile, user X Trading_Axe has a more scathing, no-holds-barred approach to the issue:

In reality, their brains don’t work at all.

Damn, do you need $300,000 urgently?

Why could you POSSIBLY, as the ETHEREUM FOUNDATION, with the whole world watching, need 300,000 PUBLIC SALE ORDERS?

Mindless cockroaches.

Challenge Dio.

– ً (@trading_axe) January 20, 2025

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Buterin sets the record straight for ETH

Many critics claim that Ethereum is losing ground to other blockchains, including Solana. As such, many recommend that Ethereum stake its tokens instead of selling them to generate returns. The growing number of comments and criticism against the foundation caught the attention of Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum.

Buterin said the team also explored many options, including staking their tokens. However, regulatory issues and potential hard fork issues have prevented them from doing so. Although there is currently a favorable regulatory environment, the risks associated with staking remain high.

Featured image of ETF Stream, chart from TradingView