Vitalik Buterin: It's Better to Leave the Community Than Turn It into a “Casino”

Vitalik Buterin is upset with some members of the Ethereum community for being too lenient and welcoming to “casinos” in the ecosystem.

Rejecting the Moral Decay of the Industry

Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, has been outraged by the moral decay that is spreading in the crypto industry, especially the explosion of blockchain casinos. Vitalik asserted that if the community continues down this path, he will not hesitate to leave his ecosystem.

In an AMA discussion on February 20, Buterin was asked about what disappointed him most in the crypto industry over the past year. He bluntly condemned the attacks on Ethereum by some individuals for not supporting blockchain casinos - a phenomenon he called an alarming “moral decay.”

Vitalik’s response appears to be aimed at Solana, which has become a hotbed for memecoin “gambling” in 2024. The comment comes amid concerns within the Ethereum community about the risk of losing ground if its weaknesses are not addressed soon. Meanwhile, Solana has increasingly asserted its appeal by attracting many talented developers, even luring personnel from Ethereum.

However, Vitalik recognizes the difference between chaotic online debates and direct meetings with members of the Ethereum community. While social media discussions may frustrate him, he still finds his faith reinforced through real-life interactions with like-minded individuals who are still preserving Ethereum’s core values.

Committed to protecting Ethereum from “corruption”

Despite his deep moral concerns, the Ethereum founder still affirms that he cannot abandon his child. Instead, he will fight to protect the network from forces that distort its original vision.

He called on the Ethereum community to stand up, not just as observers but as doers, actively participating in protecting the ecosystem from opportunists and corrupt elements.

Buterin emphasized that the Ethereum Foundation needs to play a stronger role in guiding the ecosystem, proactively funding meaningful projects instead of letting the free market decide the fate of the platform. According to him, only then can Ethereum maintain its original mission of building a decentralized ecosystem that serves people, not becoming a quick money-making tool for profiteers.

Ethereum Foundation abandons old ways

Vitalik's tough statements come right after the Ethereum Foundation made a major reform. Previously, on January 20, the Ethereum community was in an uproar when the organization sold ETH to maintain operations, an action that was condemned as a fire sale, eroding investor confidence.

In response to criticism, on February 13, the Ethereum Foundation decided to allocate 45,000 ETH (about 120 million USD) to 3 DeFi protocols Compound, Spark and Aave, as an answer to concerns about asset fire sales. This move was warmly welcomed by the community. However, the Ethereum Foundation affirmed that this was just the beginning. The organization is also actively researching the implementation of ETH staking as a long-term funding strategy, instead of continuing to sell ETH for cash.

In conclusion, Vitalik is not simply issuing a warning, but he is directly leading the fight to protect Ethereum from the rise of speculative business models and disguised gambling. He called on the community not to stand idly by, but to take action to protect the core values ​​that have made Ethereum strong since its early days.

Ethereum is not just a cryptocurrency or an ecosystem, it is an ideal, a vision. And it seems that Buterin is declaring war on anyone who wants to tarnish it!