Vitalik Buterin advocates for simplifying Ethereum

Vitalik Buterin calls for simplifying Ethereum to boost adoption.

The complexity of using the ecosystem of the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization hinders its widespread adoption, according to Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin.

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). https://t.co/Pa1PXRG8sA

— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) December 17, 2025

“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,” he wrote.

Trustlessness refers to a system’s ability to operate automatically according to set algorithms, without intermediaries.

Technically, the Ethereum blockchain is decentralized—transactions are executed by open code and validators. However, the internal structure of the protocol is too complex, understood only by a narrow group of specialists. This creates a paradox: in practice, network participants still have to trust someone, in this case, the developers.

Discussing the choice between broad technical capabilities and system simplicity, Buterin noted:

“Sometimes we should consciously give up some features.”

The community supported the Ethereum co-founder’s opinion.

“The same principle applies to privacy infrastructure. If only five people understand how your privacy protocol works, you have not achieved decentralization—you have merely changed whom you trust,” noted developers of the L2 solution INTMAX.

Focus on User Experience

The Ethereum roadmap acknowledges that the network remains too complex for the average user. The ultimate goal is to make interacting with the blockchain as intuitive and seamless as using a conventional web application.

To achieve this, developers are implementing a comprehensive approach. Planned updates include the introduction of smart contract wallets that conceal complex details like gas fees and key management.

Another priority is simplifying node deployment. In the future, running a node could be possible on a smartphone or through a browser extension. This will lower the entry barrier and increase decentralization, allowing more users to directly participate in supporting the network.

Back in August, the Ethereum Foundation introduced a plan to improve user experience.

According to the foundation’s research, shortcomings in this area are the most pressing issue for both private and institutional clients.