- Ethereum isn’t about speed or higher yields—it’s about keeping users safe and the network reliable, no matter what happens.
- Vitalik stresses digital sovereignty: anyone, anywhere can access Ethereum without relying on corporations or outside powers.
- True decentralized blockspace is rare, so Ethereum prioritizes security and access over convenience or tiny efficiency gains.
Ethereum’s cofounder, Vitalik Buterin, has reignited the debate on the network’s core purpose, emphasizing freedom over efficiency. In a recent post on the Trustless Manifesto, Buterin stressed, “Ethereum was not created to make finance efficient or apps convenient. It was created to set people free.”
This statement challenges conventional expectations, highlighting that Ethereum’s value lies beyond faster apps or higher yields. The network prioritizes resilience, enabling users to operate independently of corporate, political, or technical disruptions.
Buterin explained that efficiency and convenience often serve situations already functioning well. Efficiency focuses on marginal gains, like reducing latency from 473ms to 368ms, or raising APY from 4.5% to 5.3%.
Convenience means saving users a few clicks or reducing sign-up time from one minute to twenty seconds. While these improvements can benefit users, Buterin argues that Ethereum cannot compete with Silicon Valley’s corporate machinery in this domain. Instead, the network must excel in a different arena: resilience.
Resilience as Ethereum’s Core Strategy
Resilience, according to Buterin, protects users from extreme risks. He stated, “It’s about minimizing the chance that you get -100% APY. Resilience is the game where if you become politically unpopular and get deplatformed, your network remains accessible.”
Ethereum keeps running smoothly even if developers vanish, servers crash, or major cyberattacks happen. It also gives anyone, anywhere, the freedom to use the network without depending on big companies or outside control.
Decentralized Blockspace: The Ultimate Goal
Ethereum’s primary objective remains creating decentralized, permissionless, and resilient blockspace. Buterin highlighted, “Blockspace is abundant. Decentralized, permissionless, and resilient blockspace is not.” Hence, the network prioritizes foundational security and access before convenience or yield optimization.
While web2 consumer tech focuses on speed and finance often secures partial resilience, Ethereum addresses comprehensive risks, from censorship to systemic failures. Consequently, the network delivers unique value in today’s unstable digital and political environment.
