Haciyev Reşit 
Vitalik Buterin, the founder of Ethereum, recently made an important call to the Ethereum community. Buterin stated that the ETH ecosystem should adopt a bolder vision, especially at the application layer, and emphasized the need to question existing ways of thinking. According to Buterin, Ethereum developers should move beyond traditional approaches when designing next-generation applications and focus on ideas that could reshape the future of the ecosystem. He noted that such an approach could help Ethereum build a stronger and more sustainable ecosystem in the long term.
Buterin: The Ethereum Application Layer Should Be Rethought
Vitalik Buterin said that the Ethereum community should reassess the application layer and its relationship with the rest of the world. He emphasized that Ethereum’s core values — censorship resistance, open-source development, privacy, and security remain extremely important. According to Buterin, these principles are among the key reasons Ethereum has built such a strong ecosystem. Buterin refers to these core characteristics as “CROPS”, highlighting that these principles should not be compromised as the ecosystem evolves. However, he also stressed that current approaches—particularly at the application layer—should be fundamentally reexamined. Instead of focusing solely on improving existing systems, developers should explore entirely new ideas and use cases.
“The Ethereum ecosystem should step outside conventional thinking patterns to design next-generation applications without compromising its core principles.”
According to Vitalik Buterin, privacy has become one of the most important priorities within the Ethereum ecosystem recently. He explained that over the past year privacy has been elevated to a top priority, which has led to significant changes in the application infrastructure. Buterin noted that Ethereum’s current application stack was not originally designed with privacy at its core, suggesting that a completely new application architecture may be needed going forward. Such an approach could enable the development of next-generation applications that significantly enhance user privacy. He also emphasized the importance of developers building new protocols and tools centered around privacy technologies.
Layer-2 Solutions May Be Reconsidered
Buterin also pointed out that one of the key discussions within the Ethereum ecosystem this year has been the role of Layer-2 solutions. These solutions were originally designed to improve the scalability of the Ethereum network. However, Buterin believes the ecosystem should rethink how these solutions can create stronger synergy with the main network. According to him, developers should reassess which Layer-2 models are the most efficient for Ethereum and potentially develop a new architectural approach. This process is seen not only as a technical evaluation but also as a strategic decision that could shape the future of the ecosystem.
Buterin added that for a long time the ecosystem has focused mainly on the question: “How can we improve the existing system?” However, he believes it is now time to move beyond this mindset. Developers should evaluate which applications can truly create high value on top of Ethereum’s strong Layer-1 infrastructure and expanding toolset. This approach requires reconsidering not only technical development but also user experience and real-world use cases.
A Thought Experiment for Developers
Vitalik Buterin also proposed an interesting thought experiment to encourage developers to adopt a different perspective. He suggested that developers should imagine the Ethereum network as if it had just been created from scratch and ask themselves which applications they would design first. He pointed out that redesigning applications in areas such as:
- DeFi (Decentralized Finance)
- Decentralized social networks
- Digital identity systems
could give the ecosystem new momentum. According to Buterin, moving away from existing assumptions and dependencies could help developers create more innovative solutions. The call made by Vitalik Buterin has sparked an important discussion about the future of the Ethereum ecosystem. Buterin believes that while preserving its core values, Ethereum must adopt a more innovative and courageous approach in order to continue evolving and maintaining its leadership in the blockchain space.
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