Vitalik Buterin says Ethereum’s 2025 upgrades will only matter if the network doubles down on its “world computing” mission: scalable, truly decentralized, walkaway-proof apps.
Summary
- Buterin says 2025 has delivered big gains in node speed, reliability and usability, laying the foundation for Ethereum’s long-term growth.
- He warns against pursuing short-term meta’s, such as political meme coins or activity theater, that dilute the core mission of Ethereum, the “world computer.”
- Ethereum must prove it can scale while remaining decentralized across both its base layer and apps, and pass a “walkaway test” for censorship-resistant infrastructure.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin said the blockchain platform has made significant technical progress by 2025, but warned that its long-term success depends on adhering to its original mission rather than chasing short-term market trends.
Ethereum on the crypto push with Buterin leading the way
In a post shared Thursday on The improvements have reduced bottlenecks, increased capacity and simplified the operation of the network’s underlying software, he said.
Buterin characterized 2025 as a year in which Ethereum’s core infrastructure matured. He stated that work aimed at improving performance, stability and usability was critical to preparing the network for long-term growth, the post said. These efforts were aimed at enabling Ethereum to handle the increased activity while retaining properties that differentiate it from centralized systems, he said.
The co-founder emphasized that lower barriers to running nodes and maintaining the network are important to keep Ethereum open and resilient as usage increases, the post said.
Despite the progress, Buterin stated that technical milestones are not the end goal. He warned that Ethereum risks losing focus if it focuses too heavily on short-term trends designed to drive activity or market attention.
“Ethereum must do more to achieve its own stated goals,” Buterin wrote, warning against attempts to “win the next meta.” He cited examples such as tokenized dollars, political meme coins, and activities designed primarily to signal economic relevance rather than deliver lasting utility. Such stories may generate temporary momentum but contribute little to Ethereum’s deeper purpose, he said.
Buterin returned to the concept of the network as a “world computer,” a vision that has shaped Ethereum since its inception. That concept focuses on the blockchain as a neutral, shared platform where applications can run without relying on centralized intermediaries, the post said.
He stated that such applications should be able to function without fraud, censorship or third-party control, even if the original developers disappear. Buterin emphasized the “walkaway test” as an important benchmark, meaning systems must continue to function regardless of who maintains them, the message said.
The co-founder also emphasized the importance of resilience, stating that in a truly decentralized system, users should not be impacted if major infrastructure providers go offline or are compromised. No entity should disrupt access or functionality for the broader network, he said.
Buterin contrasted that model with the modern Internet, where many tools have become subscription-based services that lock users into centralized platforms. Ethereum represents an alternative by aiming to restore user autonomy and long-term reliability, he said.
To succeed, Ethereum must simultaneously meet two requirements: it must be usable on a global scale and remain truly decentralized, Buterin said. Achieving one without the other would undermine the purpose of the network, according to the post.
The challenge extends beyond the basic layer of the blockchain, he said. Many applications built on Ethereum rely on centralized infrastructure such as hosted servers or proprietary interfaces, despite the use of decentralized protocols. Addressing that dependency is essential to delivering on Ethereum’s promise, Buterin said.
Buterin stated that tools now exist to bring Ethereum closer to its ideals, thanks to the technical foundation laid over the past year. The message served as an explanation of why recent engineering work matters: to position Ethereum as a sustainable infrastructure for finance, identity, governance and other fundamental internet services, the post said.
Whether Ethereum can achieve these goals will become clearer as the next phase of the network shifts from upgrades to real-world use, testing how its principles hold up under scale, Buterin said.
