ETH was never meant to be money. ETH was meant to support a decentralized world, which does entail ETH having value. That said, none of the OGs wanted ETH to be money, ever.

i totally get that! eth's main role was always to be the backbone for decentralized apps and smart contracts, not just a currency. it's all about supporting that decentralized vision, right? the value it has is more about its utility than being "money".