Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, is advocating for a significant pivot in the network's development philosophy. Shifting away from a long-standing roadmap focused solely on expansion and adding layers, Buterin now champions "protocol simplicity" – an essential "garbage collection" effort designed to strip away accumulated complexities and bolster Ethereum's long-term survival as a truly decentralized entity.
Embracing Simplicity for True Decentralization
Buterin argues that Ethereum has, over time, accrued unnecessary code, outdated design choices, and complex features that hinder its understandability, maintainability, and security. This growing complexity poses a serious threat to one of Ethereum's core values: passing the "walkaway test." This principle dictates that the network should remain functional and understandable even if its current core developers vanish, allowing new teams to seamlessly take over without needing insider knowledge or trusting a small circle of experts. Critically, Buterin highlights the "High Priest" problem, where an overly complex protocol forces users to blindly trust a few highly specialized experts, thereby undermining the very essence of decentralization and self-sovereignty. For Ethereum to be truly trustless, its underlying mechanism must be verifiable and understandable by a broad base of skilled developers.
A Leaner, More Resilient Future
The vision for "protocol simplicity" is not about discarding the past but intelligently restructuring it. This "garbage collection" involves moving older features out of the core protocol and into more flexible solutions, such as leveraging account abstraction to handle legacy transaction types via smart contracts. Even the foundational Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) could eventually transition to running as a contract within a simpler new system, allowing modern clients to focus on current iterations while legacy versions reside in isolated environments. Buterin envisions Ethereum's initial 15 years as an essential period of growth and experimentation, now giving way to a new phase of maturity. This next chapter prioritizes simplification and strengthening the foundational layers, transforming Ethereum from a "World Computer" aiming to do everything, into a "Hyperstructure" precisely focused on securely performing the right things. This strategic shift underscores a commitment to long-term resilience, ensuring Ethereum remains understandable, verifiable, and robust for decades to come.
