Vitalik Buterin Denies Ethereum Centralization Claims, Here’s Everything

As a long-term Ethereum investor and supporter, I have closely followed the recent controversy surrounding Péter Szilágyi’s concerns about Ethereum’s commitment to decentralization. Having witnessed the project’s growth from its inception and observing Vitalik Buterin’s leadership throughout, I believe that his response to these allegations is a reassuring sign for the community.


Vitalik Buterin, a key figure in Ethereum, has spoken out to alleviate fears over the project’s dedication to decentralization. The apprehension arose following public statements from Péter Szilágyi, a well-known member of the development team, expressing concerns about Ethereum’s research and development priorities.

Vitalik Buterin Refutes Péter’s Assertion

Vitalik Buterin has strongly refuted allegations suggesting that the Ethereum research team is embracing centralization. This denial was made in response to apprehensions expressed by Péter Szilágyi, Ethereum’s team leader, regarding the direction of their development. During a recent Foundation research workshop I attended, Buterin underscored that numerous discussions revolved around reducing centralization rather than increasing it.

At the workshop, Vitalik highlighted several key topics for further exploration. These included examining multiple proposal submissions to potentially eliminate the need for a builder role, enhancing the effectiveness of inclusion lists, and brainstorming methods for selecting forks based on transaction inclusiveness. Additionally, he discussed advancements towards expediting the implementation of the Orbit mechanism, which could lead to a substantial decrease in the required deposit amount for staking.

The debate ignited when Szilágyi voiced apprehensions over the PeerDAS upgrade, a plan to expand Ethereum’s blob size to 32 MB. He cautioned that this modification might impede home stakers from engaging in the network, posing a threat to its decentralized nature. Szilágyi’s social media posts depicted researchers as “eliminating” home stakers and insinuated that the research team had succumbed to centralization, as long as it could be authenticated.

Buterin’s statement intends to calm the community by emphasizing that the ethos of decentralization continues to guide the team’s work on Ethereum’s development. This conversation underscores the persistent discussions within Ethereum’s circle regarding striking a balance between fostering technological progress and preserving the essential tenet of decentralization.

Ethereum’s Decentralization Compared to Other Networks

In the larger perspective, Vitalik Buterin has given an intricate explanation of Ethereum’s decentralization contrasted to Bitcoin and other platforms. During his speech at ETHCC in Brussels, he emphasized that Ethereum holds an advantage over Bitcoin when it comes to strength and decentralization.

Two mining pools control half of Bitcoin’s computational power, and four pools manage three-quarters. In contrast, Ethereum’s network is largely run by unidentified individuals or independent stakers, signifying Ethereum’s persistent dedication to preserving a decentralized network structure as it advances.

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2024-07-27 11:36