Buterin Proposes ‘Adversarial Interoperability’ Strategy to Combat Monopolies

Buterin suggests 'hostile interoperability' to tackle monopolies and decentralize power.

Protecting society from the concentration of power is a key factor for safe technological progress, according to Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin.

Balance of powerhttps://t.co/uUEsHYdRpR

— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) December 31, 2025

The Threat of Monopolization

In the article Balance of power, the author identifies three centers of power: the state, corporations, and uncontrolled civil society. The programmer believes that humanity values the progress these institutions provide but fears their excessive strengthening.

The monopolization of power threatens personal freedoms and leads to social instability and the “soulless” unification of culture.

Previously, this balance was maintained by two natural mechanisms:

1. Growth limitations. The larger an organization, the more it is “choked” by internal contradictions, bureaucracy, communication breakdowns, and the gap between decisions and their implementation.
2. Free dissemination of ideas. Specialists move from company to company, countries trade and adopt experiences, competitors dissect innovations, and one platform can advertise another.

“If you imagine the leader as a cheetah and the followers as a turtle, the first force acts as an internal brake on the cheetah, and the second as an invisible spring pushing the turtle forward,” explained Buterin. 

However, in the 21st century, both mechanisms have weakened due to globalization, automation, and the emergence of proprietary systems.

“The result: growth limitation increases, and control diffusion decreases. Yes, the exchange of ideas on the internet has accelerated, but the real ability to influence key systems has become more centralized than ever,” emphasized the programmer. 

Control Over Technologies and Decentralization

As a solution, Buterin proposed the concept of “forced diffusion”—the deliberate spread of control over technologies. The toolkit includes the implementation of unified standards (as with USB-C in the European Union), the abolition of non-compete agreements, and the use of copyleft licenses.

A key element of the strategy should be “adversarial interoperability.” This approach allows for the creation of products that operate on top of popular platforms, bypassing their restrictions. Thus, developers can intercept interface control and return power to the user.

Examples of implementation:

• alternative clients for social networks that allow users to see others’ content and publish their own while filtering information according to user settings rather than the platform’s;
• browser extensions for filtering AI spam in X or adjusting the algorithmic feed;
• decentralized crypto exchanges.

“In the Web2 model, platforms capture value primarily through a monopoly on the interface and user experience. Creating compatible but alternative interfaces undermines this monopoly,” explained Buterin. 

In his view, decentralization is not an abstract idea but a working principle that should be embedded in the platform’s architecture from the start. The programmer stressed that developers should think not only about funding but also about governance structure:

“Any serious project should develop not only a business model for funding but also a decentralization model—mechanisms that prevent power from concentrating within the project and creating related threats.”

He cited the Lido pool as an example of conscious decentralization. Despite the pool controlling 24% of staked ETH, it poses no threat to the network thanks to distributed governance through a DAO and numerous independent operators.

Buterin also highlighted the concept of d/acc—the development of open protective technologies. In his opinion, this approach ensures system security while avoiding total centralization.

Back in October, Geth client developer Péter Szilágyi pointed out the concentration of power around Ethereum’s co-founder. According to him, the programmer’s opinion determines the rules of the entire ecosystem.

At the same time, Polygon’s head Sandeep Nailwal expressed concerns about a loyalty crisis towards the leadership of the second-largest cryptocurrency network by market capitalization.