- Ethereum co-founder aims to measure project alignment with core values to tackle decentralization and cooperation issues.
- Focus on values (open-source, low centralization), technology (ecosystem standards), and economics (using ETH).
- Critical infrastructure should be open-source to ensure interoperability.
- Encourage third-party assessments of alignment for a more meritocratic Ethereum ecosystem.
Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum’s co-founder, has introduced a proposal to measure how closely projects align with Ethereum’s core values. In a recent blog post, Buterin highlighted the key social challenge in the Ethereum ecosystem: achieving a balance between decentralization and cooperation.
This diversity of efforts creates a healthy, thriving network of developers, researchers, and community groups working towards their respective particular visions for Ethereum’s future. The risk is that there will not be an ecosystem, per se, but rather fragmented, incompatible systems.
For this, Buterin proposes a better articulation of what Ethereum alignment means, starting with clearly defining it through concrete metrics. According to him, Ethereum alignment means alignment in three areas: values alignment, technological alignment, and economic alignment.
Values alignment is based on open-source code, low centralization, and support for public goods. Technologically aligned means working with ecosystem-wide standards, while economically aligned means a preference for using ETH as the native token where possible.
Historically, the term alignment has often been very vague, most of the time creating power imbalances. Buterin now wants to change that by proposing clearly defined metrics on how to assess the said alignment so that projects in the ecosystem create a positive external contribution to Ethereum’s long-term vision.
Open-Source Principles and Standards in Ethereum
This is an open-source proposal. As Buterin pointed out, it doesn’t require everything to be open-source, but the critical infrastructure does need to be open-source to avoid proprietary lock-ins and to let improvement happen in a permissionless fashion.
It should also focus on open standards that will answer the question of interoperability in the ecosystem. He also proposes the rating of projects in regard to their level of compatibility with already existing Ether standards, such as ERC-20 or ERC-1271.
Buterin also mentions two other important metrics: decentralization and security. He describes two major tests: whether the application would survive intact if some project team disappeared and how much would attackers damage the system if a given team actively tried to compromise it. These metrics stand in an attempt to minimize reliance on centralized infrastructure while at the same time enhancing security.
Going forward, Buterin would see third-party entities like L2beat start quantifying how well projects actually align with these criteria. Such organizations would foster competition based on alignment rather than social connections and provide a much clearer path for stakeholders, including the Ether Foundation, to support positively contributing projects in the ecosystem.
By making the concept of alignment more measurable, Buterin feels this design will make the Ethereum ecosystem meritocratic, transparent, and fair while ensuring cohesive and inclusive network growth.
Related Reading | Crypto In Focus At 2024 Tsinghua PBC Forum: Risks And Global Policy Shifts
