Vitalik Buterin Proposes Ethereum's 'Walkaway Test': Seven Technical Foundations for Protocol Independence

Source: CryptoTale Original Title: Vitalik Buterin Wants Ethereum to Survive Without Him Original Link: Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin introduced the “walkaway test,” arguing that Ethereum should remain secure and functional even if core developers disappeared. He outlined why the protocol must stop depending on constant upgrades and how Ethereum should reach this state of long-term resilience.

The Walkaway Test and Why It Matters

Buterin framed the walkaway test as a durability standard for Ethereum’s base layer. According to him, the network must function even without ongoing core development. He said Ethereum should resemble a durable tool rather than a service that fails when operators leave.

Notably, Buterin tied the idea to Ethereum’s original mission. He said the blockchain exists to host trustless or trust-minimized applications. These tools should keep working after deployment, even if developers stop maintaining them.

However, Buterin argued this goal fails if Ethereum itself needs frequent intervention. He said a base layer that requires constant upgrades cannot support long-lived applications. Therefore, the protocol must share the same resilience expected from applications built on it.

He introduced the concept of “ossification” to explain the goal. Ethereum does not need to stop evolving, he wrote. Instead, it must reach a point where freezing the protocol would not break its value.

In short, upgrades should become optional rather than essential.

The Seven Technical Foundations

First, Buterin placed full quantum resistance at the top of the list. He warned against delaying quantum protections for short-term efficiency. According to him, the protocol should aim for cryptographic safety lasting a century.

Second, he addressed scalability at the architecture level. Ethereum must support thousands of transactions per second over time. He cited ZK-EVM validation and PeerDAS data sampling as core requirements. However, he stressed how scaling should occur. Future growth should rely mainly on parameter changes, not disruptive forks. Ideally, validators would approve changes using mechanisms similar to gas limit voting.

Third, Buterin focused on state architecture. Ethereum must manage accounts and storage for decades without overwhelming nodes. He pointed to partial statelessness and state expiry as necessary design choices.

Fourth, he called for a general-purpose account model. Ethereum should move away from protocol-level dependence on ECDSA signatures. Full account abstraction would allow flexible, programmable validation methods.

Fifth, Buterin highlighted gas pricing. The gas schedule must resist denial-of-service risks during execution. It must also remain safe for zero-knowledge proving as usage grows.

Sixth, he examined Ethereum’s proof-of-stake economics. Drawing on years of experience, he said the model must remain decentralized. It must also support ETH as trustless collateral, including governance-minimized stablecoins.

Finally, he addressed block building. Ethereum needs a system that resists centralization pressure. According to Buterin, censorship resistance must hold even under unknown future conditions.

Completing the Work Without Constant Upgrades

After listing the foundations, Buterin explained how Ethereum should evolve next. He said the hardest engineering should happen over the next few years. Each year should complete at least one major item.

Notably, he emphasized doing work correctly the first time. He warned against partial fixes that create future dependencies. According to him, long-term robustness requires upfront discipline.

He also outlined where innovation should move afterward. Most progress should occur through client optimizations. The protocol would then reflect improvements through parameter adjustments.

This approach reduces the need for repeated protocol overhauls. It also limits reliance on informal leadership or emergency coordination. In that sense, Ethereum would rely more on rules than people.

Throughout his proposal, Buterin returned to independence as the core theme. He said no founder, company, or developer group should be required. Ethereum should continue safely even if everyone walks away.

Vitalik Buterin’s walkaway test defines a clear survival target for Ethereum’s base layer. His seven-step plan lists specific technical requirements, from quantum resistance to censorship-resistant block building. These steps describe how Ethereum could operate securely without constant human intervention.