Re: blockchain sponsorship. Minority, yes, but not without weight. For example, current Rust language team leader and library team leader are sponsored by blockchain projects.
Perhaps I'm asking you to trust me, but I can stake my own reputation on the fact that neither Mara not Josh are in any way compromised by this sort of sponsorship. Both of them have been doing incredible work for years, and while I can't speak to Mara's financial situation, Josh gets sponsored by a ton of different companies to do Rust work (including my own, and we have nothing to do cryptocurrency).