Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin stated that too many software applications in the past have been pushed to the cloud rather than being "local-first," including in the gaming industry. This is a "huge tragedy." He also proposed a concept: if a funding mechanism similar to "electronic device sales tax automatically allocated based on usage contribution to open-source software" had been established as early as 2000, the current situation might have been avoided. Cloud computing brings convenience to users, but the cost is the loss of user sovereignty and freedom. The significance of Ethereum is to reclaim users' sovereignty and freedom.