I think originally it was kinda the first platform that did smart contracts. Now days smart contracts seem to be pretty prevalent on other platforms, so it’s less novel, but I think that was the original thing that gave it some value. It also used to be a proof of work blockchain like BtC. Not sure if they’ve fully transitioned away, but they are now proof of stake. I’d stay a million miles away from ETH as an investment, but maybe for executing smart contracts there may still be utility value.