Ethereum Co-Founder Buterin Unveils Plan to Simplify Protocol, Inspired by Bitcoin

Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, has unveiled a new strategy to simplify the fundamental protocol of Ethereum, drawing inspiration from Bitcoin's straightforward design. In his blog post titled "Simplifying the L1," published on May 3, 2025, Buterin outlined a five-year plan aimed at enhancing Ethereum's efficiency, security, and accessibility. The goal is to maintain Ethereum's position as a leading blockchain platform while aligning its operational and structural aspects more closely with Bitcoin.

Buterin highlighted the simplicity of Bitcoin's protocol, noting that even a high school student could fully understand it. This clarity, he argued, allows hobbyist programmers to build a Bitcoin client with ease. Therefore, he proposed that Ethereum should strive for similar transparency to broaden participation and strengthen its foundation. The plan focuses on making Layer 1 (L1) of Ethereum, which serves the network, easier to understand. A simpler protocol would result in fewer bugs, lower maintenance costs, and a more stable system overall. Buterin emphasized that Bitcoin's design, with blocks linked by hashes and proven with proof-of-work, is clear and trustworthy, although Ethereum faces its own set of challenges.

Buterin's proposal outlines several benefits of a simpler protocol. A streamlined system would be easier for people to understand, encouraging more developers and researchers to participate in Ethereum. This would also decentralize the protocol, reducing its reliance on a small group of technical experts. Simplification would lower the cost of developing new infrastructure for the network, as less complexity reduces the risk of critical design and implementation errors. Fewer moving parts mean fewer bugs and easier verification of the system's integrity. Additionally, a simpler protocol decreases vulnerability to social attacks, making the network more secure and trusted, similar to Bitcoin. These changes would enhance Ethereum's long-term stability and neutrality.

Charles Hoskinson, the creator of Cardano and a former co-founder of Ethereum, had previously warned that if Ethereum does not address its increasing complexity and dependence on Layer 2 networks, it could collapse within ten to fifteen years. Hoskinson's concerns highlight the potential risks to Ethereum's fundamental value, making Buterin's efforts to simplify the protocol a timely and necessary response.

Buterin's simplification plan involves several technical reforms. The primary focus is on streamlining the Ethereum consensus layer through the proposed "Beam Chain" initiative. This aims to make consensus mechanisms more efficient and secure by adopting proven strategies from consensus theory and integrating zero-knowledge technologies like ZK-SNARKs. Another significant upgrade involves replacing the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), which serves as the smart contract execution environment, with a more efficient, ZK-friendly virtual machine based on RISC-V architecture. This transition could boost performance by up to 100 times, addressing current bottlenecks in transaction processing while remaining backward compatible with existing contracts. Additionally, the strategy aims to limit the number of code lines in Ethereum's fundamental protocol, moving towards a more concise codebase similar to Bitcoin's, while retaining crucial functionalities. The ultimate goal of these reforms is to transform Ethereum into a more efficient, trusted, and globally adopted platform.