Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin has proposed a novel funding approach for open-source projects to prevent corporate acquisition. In a December 5, 2025, interview, Buterin introduced the concept of "dependency funding," which combines financial support with social outreach. He illustrated this with an example where a non-crypto developer receives 1.5 ETH because Ethereum projects utilize their code, suggesting this method is more genuine than unsolicited donations. Buterin emphasized the growing intersection between the crypto community and non-crypto projects, such as Tor, and expressed his desire to expand this funding mechanism. He believes that experimenting with such cryptoeconomic mechanisms is crucial for the sustainability and independence of open-source initiatives.