Vitalik Buterin: Ethereum Should Simplify for Trustlessness
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin said the network must simplify its design to expand the number of people who can fully grasp how the blockchain operates, a step he argues is necessary to strengthen trustlessness.
Trustlessness refers to a system that enforces rules through code without relying on developer oversight. Buterin noted that if a protocol is so complex that only a small group can maintain it, users effectively must rely on that group in practice. He added that while Ethereum’s transactions and smart contracts are enforced by open-source code and a decentralized validator set, the network should improve users’ ability to understand it end to end.
“An important and underrated form of trustlessness is increasing the number of people who can actually understand the whole protocol from top to bottom. Ethereum needs to get better at this by making the protocol simpler,” Buterin said in a post on X on Wednesday. Asked about the balance between features and comprehension, he added, “we should be willing to have fewer features sometimes.”
Industry participants have previously suggested that confusion around custody, regulation, and other concepts familiar to experienced users may be discouraging broader adoption.
Source: Vitalik Buterin
Broader clarity sought across protocols
INTMAX, a privacy-focused layer-2 built on Ethereum, echoed Buterin’s point and applied it to privacy tools. “If only five people can understand how your privacy protocol works, you haven’t achieved trustlessness, you’ve just changed who you trust. Simple, auditable privacy architecture > complex black boxes,” INTMAX said in a post on X.
Others have noted that dense technical terminology used by some projects can be difficult to navigate and may deter potential users.
Source: Money Ape
Ethereum targets improved user experience
Ethereum’s roadmap acknowledges the network can be “too complex to use for most people” and outlines steps to “drastically lower its barriers to entry” so it becomes “as frictionless as using a traditional Web2 app.”
Planned improvements to enhance usability include smart contract wallets to abstract tasks such as gas fee management and private key handling, as well as reducing the requirements for operating a node to make it viable on devices like smartphones or within browser applications.
The Ethereum Foundation also supports a range of educational initiatives and training programs to expand knowledge of blockchain development and related technologies.
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