A New Kind of Centralization Risk
Decentralization is usually measured by nodes, validators and consensus rules. Vitalik Buterin just added another metric that is often ignored: simplicity.
In a recent statement he argued that even a highly decentralized blockchain can fail the core tests of trustlessness and self-sovereignty if its protocol becomes too complex.
This idea changes how we think about the future of Ethereum and blockchains in general.
Complexity as Hidden Centralization
Vitalik’s core argument is simple and uncomfortable.
A protocol might have:
• hundreds of thousands of nodes
• strong cryptographic guarantees
• advanced verification systems
• massive community participation
But if the underlying codebase turns into an unwieldy monster of features and PhD-level cryptography, it effectively becomes centralized again.
Why?
Because only a tiny group of experts will truly understand how it works.
The Three Tests That Complexity Breaks
According to Vitalik, an overly complicated protocol fails three fundamental goals.
It is not truly trustless, because users must rely on a small class of specialists to explain what the system actually does.
It does not pass the walkaway test, because if current developers disappear, new teams would struggle to maintain the same level of quality.
And it is not fully self-sovereign, because even highly technical users cannot realistically audit or understand the system themselves.
In other words, complexity creates a new form of dependency.
Security Suffers as Well
Beyond philosophy, there is a practical problem.
Every additional feature and interacting component increases the risk of bugs and vulnerabilities. The more moving parts a protocol has, the harder it becomes to secure.
What looks like progress in the short term can quietly undermine robustness in the long term.
A Radical Definition of Simplicity
Vitalik proposes three concrete metrics for evaluating protocol simplicity:
• minimize total lines of code
• avoid unnecessary dependence on exotic cryptography
• maximize core invariants that simplify reasoning about the system
The ideal protocol, in his words, should be small enough to fit on a few pages.
That is a striking contrast to how many modern blockchains evolve.
Garbage Collection for Blockchains
One of the most interesting ideas is the need for explicit simplification processes.
Development culture usually focuses on adding features. But Vitalik argues that Ethereum must also learn to subtract.
This means:
• removing outdated mechanisms
• replacing complex components with simpler ones
• demoting rarely used features into smart contracts
• streamlining the base layer wherever possible
He compares this to garbage collection in software engineering — a necessary discipline that prevents systems from collapsing under their own weight.
A Long-Term Vision for Ethereum
Vitalik’s message is ultimately optimistic.
He believes Ethereum should aim to:
• stabilize its core architecture
• reduce unnecessary complexity
• slow down the rate of change
• become a durable digital foundation
The first fifteen years of Ethereum, he says, were an adolescence of experimentation. The next stage should be maturity.
The Contrast With Solana’s Philosophy
This position stands in clear contrast to the approach outlined by Solana’s co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko.
Solana emphasizes constant iteration and rapid evolution. Ethereum, at least in Vitalik’s vision, seeks long-term stability and minimalism.
These are not just technical differences. They are competing ideas of what a blockchain should be.
Is progress measured by speed of change?
Or by the ability to remain simple and resilient for decades?
What This Means for the Industry
The debate goes far beyond Ethereum.
As blockchains become critical infrastructure, their design philosophy will shape:
• institutional adoption
• regulatory acceptance
• developer ecosystems
• long-term security
• user sovereignty
The systems that survive for a hundred years may not be the ones with the most features, but the ones with the fewest.
How BTCUSA Views the Trend
BTCUSA will closely watch:
• efforts to simplify Ethereum’s protocol
• moves toward leaner consensus mechanisms
• reductions in legacy technical debt
• adoption of clearer, more minimal architectures
These signals may matter more for the future of crypto than any short-term market narrative.
Complexity feels like innovation.
Simplicity is often the real revolution.
Vitalik’s latest argument reminds the industry of something easy to forget:
the strongest systems are not the most complicated ones, but the most understandable.
