Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has once again distanced himself from speculative tokens sent to his wallet without approval.
In his latest move, Buterin liquidated two little-known memecoins, PUPPIES and ERC20, which had been sent without his consent. He then converted the proceeds into more stable holdings of 13,889 USDC and 28.58 ETH, valued at nearly $117,500.
Swift Exit from Unwanted Tokens
The transactions were reported by the blockchain tracking platform Lookonchain. It noted that the entire process took place within a two-hour window.
Buterin did not buy the tokens; they appeared in his wallet as unsolicited transfers, a common tactic that crypto developers use to tie their projects to high-profile figures.
Meanwhile, Buterin chose not to hold on to the tokens. Instead, he converted them into ETH and USDC.
Not His First Token Offload
This latest action is part of a longer history of similar sales. In late August, Buterin sold more than 2 trillion MANYU tokens, worth roughly $39,484, through the CoW Protocol exchange. Similarly, the tokens had been sent to him by members of the MANYU community without his consent.
Interestingly, the token’s market value gained momentum after the sale. At the time of reporting, MANYU was trading at $0.00000004959, showing a 56.7% rise over the previous 24 hours and a 140.9% increase over the past month.
This outcome highlights a paradox: while Buterin distances himself from speculative projects, his actions often bring fresh attention to the very tokens he tries to avoid.
The Landmark Shiba Inu Case in 2021
One of the most memorable examples of unsolicited tokens linked to Buterin came in 2021. Shiba Inu’s anonymous founder Ryoshi transferred a massive 500 trillion SHIB tokens, amounting to half of the coin’s total supply, to Buterin.
Rather than keeping the tokens, Buterin burned 410 trillion SHIB, permanently removing them from circulation. The remainder was donated to various causes, including the India Covid Relief Fund, managed by Polygon co-founder Sandeep Nailwal, along with several other charities.
At the time, SHIB’s price fell sharply following the unexpected transaction. Yet the coin eventually recovered and, within five months, achieved an all-time high, cementing its place among the most recognized memecoins in the market.
Vitalik’s Clear Message to Developers
Vitalik Buterin has long voiced his discomfort with being placed in the center of token-seeking projects without his consent. He has repeatedly stressed that developers should avoid transferring tokens or assigning him influence in decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs).
At the time of the SHIB burn and donation, Buterin remarked, “Please do not give me coins or power in your project without my consent. I don’t want to be a locus of power of that kind. Better to send tokens directly to a charity, though, do talk to them first.”
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