Vitalik: Ethereum itself must pass the test of being "able to exit at any time."

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin stated on the X platform that Ethereum itself must pass the test of "being able to withdraw at any time." The positioning of Ethereum is to become an ideal habitat for various trustless and minimal-trust applications, whether in finance, governance, or other industries. It should support applications that are more like "tools," rather than "services" that become completely ineffective once the provider stops maintenance. Even if certain applications do rely on specific functions from providers, Ethereum should minimize this dependency as much as possible and protect users to the greatest extent when that dependency fails.

However, if the underlying protocol itself relies on the continuous updates of a certain "provider" (even if that "provider" is the collaborative process of all core developers) to maintain usability, then building the aforementioned ideal applications becomes impossible. The Ethereum blockchain itself must possess the characteristics we expect its applications to have. Therefore, Ethereum must pass the test of "being able to withdraw at any time." This means that Ethereum needs to reach a stage where we can "solidify it when needed." We do not have to stop modifying the protocol, but we must ensure that Ethereum's value proposition no longer strictly depends on any functions that have not yet been incorporated into the protocol.

Specifically, this includes: complete resistance to quantum computing, a scalable architecture for high performance, a state architecture that can last for decades, a generalized account model, a reliable gas pricing mechanism resistant to denial-of-service attacks, a proof-of-stake economic model based on long-term experience, and a block construction model that resists centralization pressure and ensures censorship resistance. Ideally, in the coming years, we should work hard to achieve a stage where almost all future innovations can be realized through client optimizations and reflected in the protocol through parameter changes. Each year, we should accomplish at least one of the above goals, preferably multiple. Based on a profound understanding of doing the right thing, getting it right the first time (rather than taking a compromised temporary solution) will maximize Ethereum's technical and social robustness in the long run.