Vitalik Buterin Wants Ethereum to Embrace One of Bitcoin’s Greatest Strengths

Buterin emphasized that one of the greatest advantages of Bitcoin is its elegant simplicity, which has helped it remain robust and understandable, even to non-experts. He wrote,

“One of the best things about Bitcoin is how simple it is. This simplicity has lots of benefits. Let’s bring those benefits to Ethereum.”

What Makes Bitcoin’s Simplicity So Powerful?

According to Buterin, Bitcoin’s core protocol is so minimalistic that even a smart high school student can fully understand it. He highlighted that:

Blocks are linked with a hash Each block is verified by proof-of-work The blockchain functions by processing transactions that move coins from one user to another

One of the best things about Bitcoin is how simple it is. This simplicity has lots of benefits. Let’s bring those benefits to Ethereum. pic.twitter.com/YwmVaOCPlP

— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) May 3, 2025

This makes Bitcoin not only more accessible for hobbyist developers to build clients but also contributes to its overall security and decentralization, as more people are capable of auditing or verifying the network.

Ethereum: Powerful but Complex

Ethereum, by contrast, has become far more complex over time due to its support for smart contracts, staking, Layer-2s, and DeFi applications. While this makes Ethereum powerful, it also makes the network harder to understand, maintain, and scale securely.

Buterin’s suggestion is not to strip away Ethereum’s capabilities but to simplify the core protocol, so it’s easier to verify and more resistant to systemic risks.

The Path Forward

While he hasn’t released a definitive roadmap, Buterin’s remarks could spark new discussions around protocol design, especially as Ethereum transitions deeper into its proof-of-stake future and as Layer-2 adoption increases. By marrying Ethereum’s flexibility with Bitcoin’s clarity, Buterin envisions a next-generation protocol that’s both powerful and user-verifiable.

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