Vitalik Buterin Warns Ethereum Against Centralization Path as ETH Holds Near $2,136

Ethereum Foundation restructuring continues into late May with Vitalik Buterin’s May 29 EthCC speech urging the ecosystem to avoid OpenAI-style centralization and upgradeable Layer-2 designs. The foundation has narrowed its mandate to CROPS priorities (censorship resistance, openness, privacy, security) under interim director Bastian Aue and plans to sell less ETH after holding only 0.16 % of supply. At least eight senior departures since January have intensified community scrutiny, while spot ETH ETFs saw $295 million in May outflows. ETH trades near $2,136, down more than 50 % from its August 2025 peak, though Standard Chartered issued a bullish $4,000 year-end target.