Vitalik: Ethereum itself must pass the test of being "able to withdraw at any time"

PANews January 12th News, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin posted on X platform stating that Ethereum itself must pass the test of being “able to be detached at any time.” Ethereum’s positioning is to become an ideal habitat for various trustless and minimally trusted applications, whether in finance, governance, or other industries. It should support applications that are more like “tools,” rather than “services” that become completely useless if the provider stops maintenance. Even if some applications do rely on certain functions of the provider, Ethereum should minimize this dependency as much as possible and protect users to the greatest extent when dependencies fail. However, if the underlying protocol itself depends on the continuous updates of a “provider” (even if this “provider” is the collaborative process of all core developers) to maintain usability, then building the aforementioned ideal applications becomes impossible. The Ethereum blockchain itself must possess the characteristics we expect its applications to have. Therefore, Ethereum must pass the test of being “able to be detached at any time.”

This means that Ethereum should reach a stage where we can “solidify it when needed.” We do not need to stop modifying the protocol, but we must ensure that Ethereum’s value proposition no longer strictly depends on any features not yet incorporated into the protocol. This includes the following aspects: fully quantum-resistant capabilities, scalable high-performance architecture, a state architecture that can last for decades, a generalized account model, a reliable gas pricing mechanism resistant to denial-of-service attacks, an economic model based on long-term experience with proof-of-stake, a block construction model that resists centralization pressures and ensures censorship resistance. Ideally, in the coming years, we should work towards a stage where almost all future innovations can be achieved through client-side optimization and reflected in the protocol through parameter changes. Each year, we should complete at least one of these goals, preferably multiple. Based on a deep understanding of doing the right thing, doing things thoroughly in one go (rather than taking temporary compromise solutions), in the long run, this approach maximizes Ethereum’s technical and social robustness.