Ethereum faces a defining moment as Vitalik Buterin shifts strategy at the foundation level while ETH price revisits a major technical support zone. The convergence of long term structural planning and near term market pressure places Ethereum at a clear inflection point. Ethereum Foundation plans “mild austerity” as Vitalik Buterin deploys 16,384 ETH for open tech Vitalik Buterin said the Ethereum Foundation is entering “a period of mild austerity” over the next five years as it aims to push an aggressive development roadmap while also preserving long term financial durability. He described the shift as a way to keep Ethereum focused on performance and scalability without weakening decentralization, sustainability, or robustness. Buterin said he will personally take on work that might otherwise have sat inside the foundation as special projects. He framed the effort around building a full stack of open source, secure, and verifiable software and hardware that can protect both private life and public environments. He linked that direction to his earlier writing on “openness and verifiability,” and he said the stack should cover areas such as finance tools, communication, governance software, blockchains, operating systems, secure hardware, and some biotech tied to personal and public health. To fund that work, Buterin said he withdrew 16,384 ETH and will deploy it toward these goals over the next few years. Several crypto outlets valued the sum at roughly $44 million to $45 million at the time of reporting, although the dollar figure moves with market prices. He also said he is exploring secure decentralized staking options so staking rewards can support the same mission over a longer period. In the post, he positioned Ethereum as a core part of the plan, while he emphasized use cases tied to self sovereignty, security, and privacy rather than broad expansion for its own sake. Ethereum retests key support as price slips back into prior breakout zone Ethereum moved back into a critical technical area after losing momentum from late 2025 highs. On the three day ETHUSDT perpetual chart, price fell toward the former November support and the breakout zone from summer 2025, now centered between $2,700 and $2,800 . This zone previously acted as a base before the rally toward the 2021 cycle highs and is now under renewed pressure. Ethereum TetherUS Perpetual Contract: Source: Daan Crypto Trades The chart shows ETH failing to hold above the 0.618 Fibonacci retracement near $2,755 and sliding toward the 0.65 level around $2,641. The rejection from higher levels followed a broader downtrend from the previous cycle high near $4,090 and the 2021 all time high close to $4,960. Sellers regained control as ETH dropped back below the mid range structure that supported price during the second half of 2025. If Ethereum stabilizes above the $2,700 to $2,800 band, the area could again act as a consolidation base. However, a clean break below this zone would shift focus lower. The next major support sits near $2,100, a level marked by prior range lows and a high volume reaction area on the chart. Below that, the structure opens toward deeper retracement levels from the 2024–2025 advance. At the time of the chart capture, ETH traded near $2,666, firmly inside the contested support region. The current structure leaves price at a decision point, with market direction likely defined by whether buyers can defend the former breakout zone or sellers force a continuation toward the $2,100 support.
