The Future of Ethereum: Interpretation of Founder Vitalik's Latest Views

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin recently shared some of his views on the development of Ethereum and the crypto industry on his personal blog and social media platforms. This article summarizes his main points since July 2024, so let's take a look at the details.

Layer 2 interoperability issues will be resolved.

Vitalik believes that the interoperability issues across Layer 2 will soon no longer be a barrier. He anticipates that the entire Ethereum ecosystem (including Layer 1, Rollups, Validium, and even sidechains) will achieve a seamless user experience, which may surprise many. He sees tremendous motivation and determination to achieve this goal.

Cryptocurrency should not be the only standard of political allegiance.

Vitalik calls for not choosing political allegiance simply because someone supports cryptocurrency. He believes that supporters should focus on deeper goals and policy impacts, rather than narrowly only valuing attitudes towards crypto assets.

He pointed out that in recent years, cryptocurrency has become an important issue on the political agenda, with various places considering the formulation of relevant regulations. While most bills are reasonable, there are concerns that the government may take extreme measures. This has led some cryptocurrency supporters to become politically active, but their preferences for political parties and candidates almost entirely depend on whether the counterpart is friendly towards cryptocurrency.

Vitalik opposes this trend, believing it may go against the original intent and values of people entering the crypto space. He emphasizes that crypto is not just about digital assets and blockchain, but is rooted in the broader ideals of the cypherpunk movement.

Crypto assets are just one application scenario of decentralized networks.

Vitalik pointed out that freedom is important, and decentralized networks can protect freedom well, while crypto assets are just one important application scenario. He believes there are other equally fundamental technological freedoms, such as freedom of communication and privacy, privacy-friendly digital identities, access to high-quality information, and freedom of thought.

He urged supporters not to think about issues solely from the perspective of cryptocurrency assets, but to consider them from the fundamental goals of cryptocurrency and the overall policy implications.

The Importance of Internationalism Spirit

Vitalik emphasized the importance of internationalism, considering it a social and political cause that he and many of his peers have long valued. He pointed out that the internet theoretically does not distinguish between rich and poor countries, which is an important aspect of its liberating nature. Cryptographic assets extend this ideal into the realm of economic interaction, with the potential to promote the flattening of the global economy.

Support for politicians should be based on a long-term vision

Vitalik suggests that when evaluating politicians' attitudes towards cryptocurrency, one should examine their long-standing views rather than just their current positions. He believes the key questions are: Are the reasons politicians support cryptocurrency correct? Do they have a vision for the technological, political, and economic developments of the 21st century that aligns with yours? Is there a long-term positive vision beyond short-term interests?

The Balance of Technological Innovation and Popularization

When discussing technological innovations like Circle STARK, Vitalik emphasized the importance of making complex technologies easy to understand and use. He believes that while advanced tools are necessary, it is also essential to ensure that these tools can be understood and used by more people to achieve widespread collaboration.

Simplicity is the key to a powerful ecosystem

At the Ethereum community conference, Vitalik emphasized that if we want a strong ecosystem, it must remain simple. He pointed out that Ethereum is a "large and reasonably decentralized staking ecosystem" with a highly internationalized and knowledgeable community. However, he also acknowledged that there are still weaknesses in blockchain that need to be addressed, such as high validator thresholds and the complexity of node operation technology.

Overall, Vitalik's perspective reflects his thoughtful consideration of the long-term development of Ethereum and the entire crypto industry. He calls for attention to the broader social impact, rather than narrowly focusing on the crypto assets themselves, while emphasizing the importance of balancing technological innovation with usability for the ecosystem.