Focus on scalable, censorship-resistant applications over chasing trends
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin emphasized the importance of building decentralized applications (dApps) that are both usable and resilient, warning against focusing solely on short-term trends or “the next meta.” His remarks highlight Ethereum’s ongoing mission to serve as a foundational infrastructure for a free and open internet.
Decentralization and usability as core principles
Buterin stressed that dApps must operate without fraud, censorship, or third-party interference, passing what he calls the “walkaway test,” meaning applications should function even if original developers leave. They should also be capable of transcending external disruptions such as corporate failures, political influence, or platform restrictions.
“To achieve this, it needs to be (i) usable at scale and (ii) actually decentralized,” he noted, emphasizing improvements at both the blockchain layer and the application layer. Developers are urged to focus on long-term infrastructure and resilience rather than chasing temporary trends or hype cycles.
Ethereum advanced significantly in 2025 through two major upgrades. Pectra, launched in May, improved blob throughput, account abstraction, and validator staking limits. Fusaka, deployed in December, introduced PeerDAS to streamline data availability sampling, enabling higher blob counts without increasing node strain. Combined with higher gas limits and zkEVM performance improvements, these upgrades enhanced scalability, reduced costs, and supported Ethereum’s rollup-centric roadmap.
Buterin concluded that Ethereum has powerful tools available, but developers must apply them effectively to create a truly decentralized and usable ecosystem.
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