Ethereum founder, Vitalik Buterin has undertaken a large-scale transaction involving trillions of meme tokens, leaving the broader cryptocurrency space curious about the motives behind the founder’s decision.  Ethereum Founder Executes Massive Memecoin Sales Ethereum inventor and founder, Vitalik Buterin has made new headlines as reports surface of his substantial memecoin sales. According to... source: https://bitcoinist.com/ethereum-vitalik-buterin-tokens/

Vitalik Buterin got rid of airdropped tokens in favor of 'healthy' liquidity source: https://u.today/vitalik-buterin-just-sold-trillions-of-memes-heres-how-much-he-earned

Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH), has suggested reverting some functionalities from layer-2 networks back to the Ethereum main chain. This might cause disruption amongst significant layer-2 projects. source: https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cryptocurrency/23/12/36230884/ethereums-vitalik-buterin-suggests-changes-to-layer-2-posing-challenges-for-projects?utm_campaign=partner_feed&utm_source=cryptopanic.com&utm_medium=partner_feed&utm_content=site

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin introduced a new concept for the blockchain platform called an “enshrined Zero-Knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine (ZK-EVM) in a Dec. 13 blog post. The main goal of the proposal is to substantially improve the efficiency and security of Ethereum’s Layer-2 protocols, which include optimistic and ZK rollups. Addressing challenges in Layer-2 protocols […] source: https://cryptoslate.com/vitalik-buterin-proposes-an-enshrined-zkevm-to-address-layer-2-challenges/

According to Steven Nerayoff, a former Ethereum advisor, the drive to push Ethereum often circles back to the lucrative gas fees. Nerayoff made this statement via a post on X (formerly Twitter), where he explained that when fees skyrocket, it is not the average user but a handful of big players who reap the rewards, […] source: https://coinedition.com/disguised-whales-behind-ethereums-inflated-gas-fees-vitalik-buterin/

According to Cointelegraph, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin believes that unchecked super-advanced artificial intelligence (AI) has a "serious chance" of surpassing humans and becoming the next "apex species" on Earth. However, he also suggests that human intervention in AI development could help prevent this outcome. In a November 27 blog post, Buterin argued that AI is fundamentally different from other recent inventions, as it can create a new type of "mind" that could potentially turn against human interests. He cited a 2022 survey of over 4,270 machine learning researchers who estimated a 5-10% chance that AI could cause human extinction. Buterin emphasized that while these claims are extreme, there are ways for humans to prevail. One such method is integrating brain-computer interfaces (BCI) to give humans more control over powerful AI-based computation and cognition. A BCI is a communication pathway between the brain's electrical activity and an external device, such as a computer or robotic limb. This would reduce the communication loop between humans and machines from seconds to milliseconds and ensure humans retain some degree of "meaningful agency" over the world. Buterin also suggested that humans should actively direct AI development to benefit humanity, as maximizing profit does not always lead to the most desirable outcomes. He concluded that humans have been the driving force behind technological advancements for thousands of years and will continue to shape the future of AI and other innovations.

According to Foresight News, Vitalik Buterin recently published an article titled 'My techno-optimism', in which he shared his views on the ongoing debate surrounding techno-optimism, artificial intelligence (AI) risks, and methods to avoid extreme centralization in the 21st century. Buterin expressed concerns about the risks posed by AI and criticized some individuals from the e/acc and EA camps for being overly trusting of single centralized participants in their proposed solutions, whether they are non-profit organizations or national governments.

According to Decrypt, an NFT painting of Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin dressed as a jester, titled 'EthBoy,' has sold for 200 ETH, equivalent to $392,308 at the time of sale, on the secondary market. The digital painting, created by crypto artists Trevor Jones and the late, pseudonymous Alotta Money, initially broke records when it sold at auction in November 2020 for 260 ETH, making it the most expensive NFT artwork ever sold at the time. The value of the original sale, approximately $140,000, is significantly lower than this week's resale due to fluctuations in the price of ETH. When 'EthBoy' was first minted, it entered an NFT ecosystem that prioritized creator royalties, fees typically between 2.5% and 10% that were added to any secondary sales of an NFT and given to the piece's creator. However, in the last year, creator fees have become optional at major platforms like OpenSea, which have struggled to attract customers and maintain revenue amidst the current bear market. Despite this, the new owner of 'EthBoy' chose to pay the 10% creator royalty of 20 ETH, equivalent to a $39,230 tip, to Async Art, the platform that coordinated the piece's creation.

According to Cointelegraph, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has suggested that teams working on zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machines (EVMs) should revisit Plasma, a once-prominent Ethereum layer 2 scaling solution. Invented in 2017, Plasma diverts data and computation to an off-chain environment, except for deposits, withdrawals, and Merkle roots. It was eventually superseded by optimistic and zero-knowledge (ZK)-rollups, which offered cheaper client-side data storage costs and unmatched security properties. Buterin stated that while rollups remain the 'gold standard,' Plasma is an 'underrated design space' that should not be forgotten. He believes that Plasma could be a significant security upgrade for chains that would otherwise be validiums. With ZK-EVMs coming to fruition this year, Buterin sees it as an excellent opportunity to re-explore the design space and develop more effective constructions to simplify the developer experience and protect users' funds. Validiums, like Plasma, move data and computation off-chain but implement ZK-proofs to validate transactions. Plasma, however, uses fraud proofs, which are much slower. Buterin argued that improvements in ZK-proofs, such as validity proofs, address the past limitations of Plasma, making it more viable as a scaling solution. He also acknowledged that adapting Plasma for applications beyond payments has been a challenge before ZK-proofs entered the mainstream. Buterin expects the Ethereum layer 2 ecosystem to evolve with diverse technological approaches.