Vitalik Buterin Advocates for Ethereum’s Simplification, Eyeing Bitcoin’s Design

Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum’s visionary co-founder, has proposed simplifying Ethereum’s protocol to enhance its efficiency and resilience, drawing inspiration from Bitcoin’s straightforward design. In his latest blog post “Simplifying the L1,” published on May 3, 2025, Buterin outlined three primary methods to achieve this goal, aiming to improve scalability, security, and maintain decentralization. This proposal comes at a time when Ethereum’s price performance in 2025 has been lackluster despite recent gains.

• Vitalik Buterin’s proposal to simplify Ethereum
• Three methods to achieve simplification
• Benefits of simplicity for blockchain networks
• Ethereum’s price in 2025

Buterin’s vision for Ethereum’s future involves three key areas of simplification: optimizing the consensus layer with a 3-slot finality redesign, potentially replacing the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) with a minimal virtual machine like RISC-V for the execution layer, and standardizing protocols across different parts of the system. The “3-slot finality redesign” refers to a method to confirm transactions faster and more securely, while “RISC-V” is an open-source instruction set architecture known for its simplicity and efficiency. Buterin argues that these changes could not only make Ethereum more efficient but also more accessible, drawing a parallel to Bitcoin’s simplicity. In his own words, “Even a smart high school student is capable of fully wrapping their head around and understanding the Bitcoin protocol. A programmer is capable of writing a client as a hobby project.”

The proposal to simplify the EVM, however, comes with its own set of challenges. Buterin acknowledges that “The biggest challenge with meaningfully simplifying (or even improving without complexifying) any part of the EVM is how to balance accomplishing the desired goals with preserving backwards compatibility for existing applications.” This statement highlights the tricky balance Ethereum developers must strike between innovation and maintaining the platform’s extensive existing infrastructure.

Moreover, Buterin emphasizes the importance of protocol standardization, stating, “There is typically very little or no benefit to using different protocols to do the same thing in different places.” This push for uniformity aims to reduce complexity and enhance Ethereum’s overall efficiency.

While these technical changes are crucial, they also come at a time when Ethereum’s market performance is under scrutiny. After four consecutive red months to start 2025, Ethereum has seen a modest recovery, with a nearly 15% increase over the past two weeks. However, as of the latest data, ETH is still down 1.6% in the last 24 hours, trading around $1,817. This lackluster performance might be putting additional pressure on Ethereum to innovate and simplify in order to attract more users and developers to the platform.

Buterin’s proposal reflects a broader industry trend toward simplicity and scalability. Ethereum’s complexity has long been a point of criticism, with high transaction costs and slower processing times often cited as drawbacks. By emulating Bitcoin’s straightforward design, Ethereum could not only improve its technical performance but also its market position. Alex Svanevik, CEO of Nansen, noted during a recent panel discussion that Ethereum’s dominance among L1 blockchain networks has been slipping, suggesting that simplification could be a strategic move to regain ground.

Yet, the road to simplification is fraught with challenges, including the potential disruption to existing infrastructure and the need for extensive community coordination. The shift to a simpler execution layer like RISC-V, while promising for performance and security, could take 3-5+ years to fully implement, according to some estimates. This long timeline underscores the complexity of overhauling a system as deeply entrenched as Ethereum’s.

Despite these hurdles, the proposal has been described as “potentially revolutionary” and “exciting and visionary” by Crypto Wiki, highlighting the potential for significant performance boosts and a more user-friendly platform. However, the journey towards simplicity is not without its skeptics, who worry about the engineering effort and security risks involved in such a major overhaul.

As Ethereum continues to evolve, Buterin’s latest proposal serves as a reminder of the platform’s commitment to continuous improvement and innovation. Whether Ethereum can successfully simplify its core while maintaining its position as a leader in the blockchain space remains to be seen, but the conversation around simplicity is sure to influence the future of decentralized technologies.

Key Takeaways and Questions

What is the goal of simplifying Ethereum’s protocol?

The goal is to enhance Ethereum’s efficiency, scalability, and resilience by drawing inspiration from Bitcoin’s simplicity. This can reduce costs, lower risks of bugs and attacks, and maintain the platform’s credibility and neutrality.

How does Vitalik Buterin propose to simplify Ethereum?

Buterin proposes three methods: optimizing the consensus layer, simplifying the execution layer possibly by replacing the EVM with a minimal virtual machine like RISC-V, and standardizing protocols across different parts of the Ethereum system.

What are the challenges associated with simplifying the Ethereum Virtual Machine?

The main challenge is balancing the desired simplification with the need to preserve backwards compatibility for existing applications, ensuring that changes do not break functionality for current users.

How has Ethereum’s price performed in early 2025?

Ethereum has experienced a challenging start to 2025 with four consecutive red months. However, it has seen a recent uptick, increasing by nearly 15% in the past two weeks, though it remains down 1.6% in the last 24 hours at around $1,817.

Why is simplicity important for blockchain networks like Ethereum?

Simplicity is crucial for scalability, security, and maintaining decentralization. It reduces infrastructure and maintenance costs, lowers the risk of bugs and attacks, and helps keep the network credibly neutral and globally trusted.