- The Ethereum Foundation published a mandate stating its core principles of censorship resistance, open source code, privacy, security, and freedom-preserving technology.
- The organization’s stated goals are that Ethereum remains decentralized and that users have a “final say” over their onchain assets and data.
- The foundation aims to minimize its role over time, focusing on core upgrades and long-term research, so the protocol could function without it.
- Co-founder Vitalik Buterin argues the current scaling approach with centralized layer-2 networks “no longer makes sense” and needs a new path.
The Ethereum Foundation reaffirmed its commitment to Ethereum’s core tenets and its role as a steward by publishing a formal governance mandate on Friday. The document outlines the non-profit’s ultimate goal: for the ecosystem to become so robust that it would continue to evolve even if the Foundation and today’s core developers disappeared. However, these principles come amid internal critique about the protocol’s current scaling direction, as co-founder Vitalik Buterin has called for a significant shift.
The mandate, accessible on the foundation’s website, states that Ethereum Foundation will uphold censorship resistance, open source code, privacy, security, and freedom-preserving technology as foundational properties. Consequently, it will focus on protocol upgrades, “long-horizon research,” Cybersecurity, and developer tooling while deliberately minimizing its operational footprint. Meanwhile, Buterin has publicly challenged the prevailing scaling model, arguing in February that many layer-2 networks have centralized points of control with no plans for decentralization.
In a post on social media, Buterin stated, “The original vision of L2s and their role in Ethereum no longer makes sense, and we need a new path.” He contended that a layer-2 project boasting high throughput but relying on a multi-signature bridge is not truly scaling Ethereum in a decentralized way. This critique has prompted discussion within the community about whether specialized niches for privacy, identity, or finance are a more suitable future for these networks, according to his proposed alternative.
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