Tom Lee, chairman of BitMine Immersion Technologies, the largest corporate holder of Ether, dismissed a warning from a former Ethereum Foundation contributor that the network's core development faces a funding crisis, saying there is "zero chance" of a shortfall.
"In my opinion, zero chance of this 'crisis' happening for $ETH," Lee wrote on X, adding "zero" and the line "Funding secured."
Lee was responding to Trent Van Epps, who coordinated core protocol development and the Protocol Guild funding effort at the Ethereum Foundation from 2021 until April 2026. In an article published Thursday, Van Epps warned that Ethereum's core development could slide into a "slow-burning funding crisis" within three to nine months. He estimated that sustaining the network's more than 10 client teams, researchers and coordination groups costs roughly $30 million a year, and said the main sources covering that bill are tightening at once with no replacement in place.
The concerns Van Epps raised also echo turmoil inside the Foundation. On the same day Van Epps published, Hsiao-Wei Wang stepped down as co-executive director and board member, leaving Bastian Aue as effectively the sole executive director. Her exit followed at least eight senior researcher and contributor departures in 2026, including Van Epps' own, and the February resignation of co-executive director Tomasz Stańczak. The Foundation has said its treasury plan keeps it solvent for the medium term.
