Vitalik Buterin Wants Ethereum to Embrace One of Bitcoin's Greatest Strengths

In a recent blog post, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin proposed a series of changes aimed at simplifying Ethereum's Layer-1 design

In a recent blog post, Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, proposed several changes to simplify the blockchain's Layer-1 design. He took inspiration for these suggestions from what he deems one of Bitcoin’s “best things.”

Buterin highlighted that one of the greatest advantages of Bitcoin is its elegant simplicity, which has helped it remain robust and understandable, even to non-experts.

“One of the best things about Bitcoin is how simple it is. This simplicity has lots of benefits. Let’s bring those benefits to Ethereum,” Buterin wrote.

What Makes Bitcoin’s Simplicity So Powerful?

According to Buterin, Bitcoin’s core protocol is so minimalistic that even a smart high school student can fully understand it.

This makes Bitcoin not only more accessible for hobbyist developers to build clients but also contributes to its overall security and decentralization, as more people are capable of auditing or verifying the network.

Ethereum: Powerful but Complex

Ethereum, in contrast, has become far more complex over time due to its support for smart contracts, staking, Layer-2s, and DeFi applications.

While this makes Ethereum powerful, it also makes the network harder to understand, maintain, and scale securely.

Buterin’s suggestion isn't to strip away Ethereum's capabilities but to simplify the core protocol, making it easier to verify and more resistant to systemic risks.

The Path Forward

Though he hasn't yet released a definitive roadmap, Buterin’s remarks could spur further discussion on protocol design, especially as Ethereum transitions deeper into its proof-of-stake future and as Layer-2 adoption increases. By combining Ethereum's flexibility with Bitcoin's clarity, Buterin envisions a next-generation protocol that's both powerful and user-verifiable.