Justin Sun Outlines Leadership Strategy for Ethereum as Foundation Struggles With Internal Rifts

• Justin Sun believes he could take ETH to $10,000 if he took charge of the Ethereum Foundation.
• The Tron Network founder believes a tax on Layer-2s could yield $5 billion annually.
• Sun would reduce the number of foundation employees, and cease all of its ETH sales for 3 years.

Vitalik Buterin’s plans to restructure the Ethereum Foundation (EF) have caused somewhat of an uproar across the crypto scene, as community and industry figures take turns offering their thoughts on the future of the Ethereum (ETH) network.

Under his leadership, the often odd and occasionally controversial Tron Network (TRX) founder, Justin Sun, has suggested the token would reach $10,000 through a mix of decentralized finance (DeFi) efforts, taxes on layer-2s (L2) and other major adjustments.

Ethereum Overhaul

Sun, a polarizing figure in crypto, has suggested a couple of novel network and tokenomics tweaks that he believes will see ETH soar to the coveted $10,000 price tag.

To begin with, Sun would stop the foundation from offloading ETH for three years. He suggests covering EF operational costs through DeFi initiatives, such as “AAVE lending, staking yields, stablecoin borrowing.”

The EF sold 4,666 ETH between Jan. 2, 2024, and Jan. 20, 2025. This garnered concern from the community who were worried that the EF was relying on selling its token to keep the lights on.

Many also believe the EF should be staking its ETH holdings to generate returns instead of selling. Not to mention the fact it would bolster the network and support the network’s long-term goals of sustainability.

Sun also suggests a “drastic downsizing” of the EF team and keeping only the “most capable” staff. Those who survive the cull will reportedly get “significant” pay rises. According to LinkedIn, the EF currently comprises 201 to 500 employees.

Layer-2 Taxes, Layer-1 Focus

Getting down to the nitty-gritty of the network itself, Sun proposes “significant taxes” to be levied against L2s.

He argues it would reel in $5 billion annually, stablecoin or otherwise. All taxes would then be funneled into repurchasing and burning ETH “in a fully decentralized manner, period.”

Moreover, this would also see a reduction in node rewards and a greater focus on token burns. Sun says this will ensure ETH “remains deflationary, solidifying its position as a store of value.”

Finally, Sun would direct all resources to ETH’s core L1 development. The EF would then focus on “scalability, security, adoption.” All in all, this ultimately somehow brings ETH to $10,000.

“With these decisive actions, ETH is poised to break $4,500 within the first week,” Sun concluded.

It’s a bold string of suggestions from Sun. But judging by Vitalik Buterin’s adamance on the matter, only he will decide the new leadership at the Ethereum Foundation, and Sun may be one of the last people to make Buterin’s list.