Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has just publicly changed his views from nearly 10 years ago, marking a major turning point in the understanding of self-regulatory sovereignty on the blockchain.
In a recent Twitter post, Buterin stated that he no longer agrees with his 2017 assertion that user self-authentication is merely a "hermit's pipe dream."
Why Vitalik Buterin is XEM Ethereum's self-validation assumptions.
He explained that this perspective partly reflects both advances in encryption and practical lessons learned from real-world network incidents.
Back in 2017, Buterin debated with blockchain expert Ian Grigg about whether blockchains should commit to storing state directly on the chain . Grigg argued that blockchains only need to record the order of transactions without needing to store user balances, smart contract codes, or other stored data.
Buterin opposed this approach, warning that it would force users to either reprocess the entire chain history themselves or place complete trust in a third-party RPC provider. At the time, Vitalik Buterin argued that neither option was suitable for the majority of retail investors.
At the time, he emphasized that Ethereum's ability to store state directly on the chain and allow verification via Merkle proofs makes trusting the network much more secure than relying on a single party.
The biggest change since then has been the emergence of ZK-SNARKs , a cryptographic breakthrough that allows users to verify the correctness of a blockchain without having to XEM the entire transaction.
Buterin compared this technology to "finding a cure-all for just $15" — a game-changing innovation that enhances security without incurring excessive costs.
He argues that this innovation allows Ethereum to XEM the trade-offs between scalability, validation, and decentralization that were previously accepted.
The “Mountain Man” Choice: Ethereum’s Safe Haven for a Decentralized Future
Buterin also emphasized the importance of maintaining adaptability to real-world situations.
“Sometimes the P2P network is down. Sometimes latency spikes 20 times. Sometimes the service you’re using shuts down. Sometimes Miners or validators concentrate power, and intermediaries block the application you’re using,” he Chia .
In such cases, users need to be able to authenticate and use the blockchain themselves without relying on developers, ensuring self-control and sovereignty even when initial assumptions no longer hold true.
This principle is why Buterin reiterated what he tentatively called the "Mountain Man" option. While self-verification isn't a daily occurrence, it's a crucial backup plan, like a last-resort "safe haven" for Ethereum.
Similar to how BitTorrent once forced streaming platforms to provide better conditions for users, the “Mountain Man” choice empowers the Ethereum community and provides security against technological or political upheavals.
In summary, Buterin's shift in perspective is both technical and philosophical. ZK-SNARKs technology has removed previous barriers to user self-authentication, while practice has shown that risks of centralization, network failures, or censorship are entirely possible.
By maintaining the “Mountain Man” choice, Ethereum protects the network’s long-term resilience and autonomy.
Buterin's shift in perspective shows that the assumptions that previously guided design decisions are no longer immutable, and maintaining robust contingency plans is essential for a decentralized future.
