TechFlow news, on December 4, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin said in an interview with Wu Talk Blockchain that current blockchain applications mainly fall into two extremes: one type consists of idealistic projects that do good but struggle to profit; the other is highly profitable but lacks real-world significance.
He believes one reason for the popularity of memecoins is that the market is still searching for blockchain's next use case. Memecoins could become more meaningful—for example, by integrating with charitable causes, helping users in low-income countries earn income through participation, and developing more engaging game content rather than pure speculation.
Regarding controversy over the Ethereum Foundation selling tokens, Vitalik clarified that the 35,000 ETH sold by the foundation in August were disposed of via OTC services through platforms like Kraken, using a batch-processing approach to avoid significant market impact. He noted the foundation faces multiple pressures including transparency and paying developer salaries, requiring it to balance various stakeholder demands.
In response to concerns about misuse of his personal influence, Vitalik said he has increasingly declined direct project collaborations and investments in recent years. He views this as an inevitable outcome when transitioning from a small to a large ecosystem, and believes supporting ecosystem growth through neutral organizations is more appropriate.
Notably, Vitalik also discussed the malicious use of blockchain in incidents like PumpFun. He emphasized the need to develop more decentralized and open algorithms that improve content quality rather than merely maximizing engagement. Meanwhile, he supports using technologies such as zero-knowledge proofs to strike a balance between privacy protection and transparency.
