Ethereum made significant technical progress in 2025, but the network must go further to achieve its long-term mission of becoming a true “world computer,” according to co-founder Vitalik Buterin.
In a year-end reflection, Buterin highlighted a series of upgrades delivered over the past year, including higher gas limits, an increase in blob capacity, notable improvements in node software quality, and major performance breakthroughs in zkEVMs.
Combined with developments such as PeerDAS, he said, these advances represent Ethereum’s largest step yet toward becoming a fundamentally new and more powerful kind of blockchain.
Despite the progress, Buterin cautioned against complacency and short-term thinking. He argued that Ethereum should not focus on “winning the next meta,” whether that comes in the form of tokenized dollars, political memecoins, or other fleeting narratives designed to temporarily boost blockspace demand.
Instead, Buterin reaffirmed Ethereum’s core mission: building decentralized applications that can operate without censorship, fraud, or reliance on centralized intermediaries.
These applications, he said, should continue functioning even if original developers disappear or major infrastructure providers fail, passing what he described as the “walkaway test.”
Buterin framed Ethereum as a response to the increasing centralization of modern technology, where everyday tools and services are becoming subscription-based systems that lock users into permanent dependence on large platforms.
In contrast, he envisions Ethereum as foundational infrastructure for a more free and open internet, supporting not only finance, but also identity, governance, and other forms of civilizational infrastructure.
To reach that goal, Buterin emphasized the need for further improvements in usability, scalability, and decentralization, both at the blockchain layer and the application layer. This includes the software used to run nodes, interact with the network, and build end-user applications.
While acknowledging the challenges ahead, Buterin expressed optimism, noting that Ethereum already has powerful tools at its disposal. The key task, he said, is applying them effectively and consistently.
Looking ahead to 2026, Buterin encouraged the community to stay focused on Ethereum’s foundational purpose rather than short-term trends, calling the coming year an opportunity to push the network closer to its original vision.