Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has stated that the blockchain network must decide between chasing speculative trends or fulfilling its original promise as a neutral “world computer.”
In two separate detailed posts on the social media platform X, Buterin reflected on 2025 as a year of significant technical progress.
However, he cautioned against the network’s growing reliance on what he termed the “next meta,” a cycle defined by political memecoins, tokenized dollars, and efforts to artificially boost network usage for economic signaling.
Instead, Buterin argued that Ethereum has reached a pivotal moment where it has finally solved the industry’s longest-standing engineering paradox: the scalability trilemma.
Citing major upgrades in 2025, including the mainnet activation of PeerDAS and the maturation of Zero-Knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machines (ZK-EVMs), he declared that the network has overcome the trade-offs. Those trade-offs previously forced blockchains to choose between decentralization, security, and speed.
The result, according to Buterin, is a shift that moves Ethereum closer to becoming a new kind of shared computing platform rather than just another blockchain.
However, he stressed that these technical milestones are not the end goal but rather the foundation for a “rebellion” against the centralized, subscription-based internet.
The end of the trilemma
For more than a decade, blockchain developers have operated under the assumption of the “scalability trilemma.” This theory posits that a decentralized network can achieve only two of three properties: decentralization, security, and scalability.
In his message, Buterin claimed this era is effectively over, not merely in theoretical research papers but in “live running code.”
To explain the magnitude of the shift, Buterin drew a historical comparison between two major types of peer-to-peer networks that have defined the internet age.
He pointed to BitTorrent, launched in 2000, which offered huge total bandwidth and high decentralization but lacked consensus.
Conversely, Bitcoin, launched in 2009, introduced a highly decentralized consensus but suffered from low bandwidth because the network was not truly distributed; instead, work was merely replicated across every node.
Buterin posits that the Ethereum of 2025, equipped with PeerDAS and emerging ZK-EVM technology, merges these two distinct lineages. The combination enables a network that simultaneously supports decentralization, consensus, and high bandwidth.
He noted that one half of the solution, data availability sampling (DAS), is already on the mainnet today. In contrast, the other half, ZK-EVMs, has reached production-quality performance with only safety checks remaining.
Considering this, he stated:
“Ethereum with PeerDAS (2025) and ZK-EVMs (expect small portions of the network using it in 2026), we get: decentralized, consensus and high bandwidth The trilemma has been solved.”
This integration marks the culmination of a “10-year journey,” referencing research that dates back to initial commits on data availability and erasure coding.
This breakthrough implies that the network can now process more activity, reduce bottlenecks, and make it easier for individuals to run the software that keeps Ethereum operating, all without sacrificing its decentralized design.
A rebellion against centralization
While the technical achievements serve as the backbone of Buterin’s update, his message heavily emphasized the ideological purpose of these upgrades.
He framed the improved Ethereum not as a tool for financial speculation, but as a direct counter-force to the modern digital economy.
Buterin explicitly contrasted Ethereum’s potential with the rise of subscription-based digital services that lock users into centralized platforms.
He described the current internet landscape as one where everyday tools have been replaced by services that rely on third-party intermediaries, leaving users vulnerable if those providers go offline or are compromised.
He wrote:
“”Ethereum is the rebellion against this.”
Central to this vision is the concept of the “walkaway test,” a core benchmark Buterin introduced to measure the network’s true utility. The test asks whether an application or system can continue running regardless of who maintains it.
In Buterin’s view, applications built on Ethereum should function without fraud, censorship, or third-party control, even if their original developers disappear entirely.
He argued that for Ethereum to succeed, it must meet two requirements simultaneously: global usability and genuine decentralization. He warned that this challenge applies not only to the blockchain itself—including the software people use to run nodes—but also to the applications built on top of it.
He noted that many current applications still depend on centralized services despite using decentralized protocols, a vulnerability he hopes the new infrastructure will help eliminate.
The roadmap to 2030
Looking ahead, Buterin outlined a specific, multi-year roadmap that details how these technical innovations will roll out to users and developers.
He described the current state of ZK-EVMs as being at the “alpha stage,” characterized by production-quality performance with remaining work focused on safety.
Over the next four years, Buterin expects to see the full extent of this vision materialized through a series of planned upgrades:
In 2026, the network is scheduled to implement large gas limit increases that are not dependent on ZK-EVMs. These increases will be facilitated by technical adjustments known as BALs and ePBS.
Additionally, 2026 will offer the first opportunities for users to run ZK-EVM nodes, marking a significant step in the technology’s adoption.
Between 2026 and 2028, the roadmap calls for gas repricings and changes to the network’s state structure.
This period will also see the execution payload moving into “blobs,” a data storage solution designed to increase efficiency, along with other adjustments intended to make higher gas limits safe for the network to handle.
By the 2027-2030 window, Buterin forecasts further large gas limit increases as ZK-EVMs become the primary method for validating blocks on the network.
This transition represents a fundamental change in how Ethereum validates transactions, moving away from the replication model of the past toward a verified, zero-knowledge proof system that maximizes efficiency.
Buterin’s message clarified that these are not “minor improvements” but rather a shift into a “fundamentally new and more powerful kind of decentralized network.”
He emphasized that powerful tools now exist to advance this effort, positioning Ethereum as a durable infrastructure for finance, identity, governance, and other foundational internet services.
The ‘holy grail’
Beyond the immediate roadmap for scaling and gas limits, Buterin highlighted a long-term aspiration regarding how transactions are assembled on the network.
He described “distributed block building” as a “long-term ideal holy grail” for the ecosystem.
The goal is to reach a future where a full block of transactions is “never constituted in one single place.” While acknowledging that this level of decentralization may not be strictly necessary for a long time, Buterin argued it is worth striving for to ensure the network possesses the capability.
In the interim, the objective is to distribute the meaningful authority in block building as widely as possible.
Buterin suggested this could be achieved either through “in-protocol” methods, such as expanding the FOCIL mechanism to serve as a primary channel for transactions, or through “out-of-protocol” methods involving distributed builder marketplaces.
The significance of this shift lies in its risk-reduction benefits. By distributing the block-building process, the network reduces the risk of centralized interference with real-time transaction inclusion.
Furthermore, Buterin noted that such a system creates a “better environment for geographical fairness,” ensuring that network access remains equitable regardless of a user’s physical location.
Ultimately, Buterin’s New Year’s address served as both a technical progress report and a philosophical corrective. By asserting that the technical means to solve the trilemma are now live, he has removed the engineering excuses that once justified centralization.
The question that remains, as he put it, is whether the community will use this power to build a “world computer” that passes the walkaway test, or continue to chase the economic signaling of the next market cycle.
