Vitalik
Some technologies more reliably make the world better than other types. We need active human intention to choose the directions that we want, as the formula of "maximize profit" will not arrive at them automatically.
Creator of Ethereum
Thoughts
Context
- Blockchain — The platform Vitalik designed and continues to shape
- Protocols — Smart contracts as coordination protocols for credible neutrality
- Governance — Quadratic funding and legitimacy as governance experiments at scale
- Purpose — Active human intention as the antidote to "maximize profit" as default
- DePIN — Decentralized physical infrastructure that Ethereum's protocol layer enables
Questions
Vitalik argues "maximize profit" will not automatically arrive at the directions we want — but who decides which directions are worth choosing, and through what mechanism?
- Credible neutrality requires that a system not be obviously designed to favour particular parties — does any sufficiently large blockchain remain credibly neutral once it's dominated by a small set of validators?
- Quadratic funding amplifies the preferences of many small contributors over a few large ones — what does that mean for the kinds of public goods it will and won't fund?
- If legitimacy is the master resource in Ethereum's ecosystem, what could cause the community to withdraw it, and has that ever come close to happening?