One Misconception and Severe Design Flaw of the Ethereum Merge

The Merge is nigh, and there are some misconceptions about it that even the wonderfully written FAQ on the dedicated page can't answer. Understanding the new reality is paramount, especially as you prepare for it to emerge. 

That said, I often find people ignoring or misconstruing very important notions that are inseparable from the Merge. Considering the immense importance of Ethereum (ETH) becoming a proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchain and the impact that it will have on the crypto economy (which I talked about elsewhere), I think many of us can't afford to ignore those things. 

As we are approaching the Merge in Ethereum, I hear a quite repetitive narrative about it having about 400,000 validators after going full PoS as there are allegedly this many owners of at least ETH 32 (USD 49,500), which is the minimal stake size. But that is plainly wrong. Moreover, anyone would be able to run a node without any ETH.