Ethereum Foundation & Ethereum Update by Hsiao Wei Wang - Devconnect

Transcript

Hi. Very excited to be here in Argentina at the connect. Well, um is there an has always be a climb. Is it a place where people who started with nothing could rise through their own efforts. This is a system that grows taller every time when someone build something new. It is a ladder that never finishes because it its future is still being made by people in this room. A ladder works because it leads you to something.

A direction, a chance, a way up. And Ethereum works at similar reason. It doesn't promise a destination. It gives people a path they can climb at their own pace. And when someone adds something new, like a new step, everyone can rise it together. So, um my story, I didn't join Ethereum because I thought I could lead anything like here today, which I very honored on honored.

I am no more person. I joined because I saw the system. This is a system that built by the people who actually believed strangers could create something better together. My first step was small. It just learning on the internet and the listening to the talks like the conferences we have today and understanding the protocol. And like everyone here, I started at the beginning. Yeah, and after that was has been like a 7 or 8 years. And then this year's um ever since the

EF the Foundation new leadership change, it has been 8 months. The first our first um responsibility Thomas and myself was to ensure uh we have a steady transition. And then it will be the strategies uh toward EF's goals. And to keep the early steps strong so that the new ones come join the system can build. And to continue the climb.

And the EF we don't we doesn't um the EF doesn't uh sit on the top of the ladder. We don't get to tell like the ecosystem where exactly the destination is to climb. Our role is quieter. We hold the base steady. And we fix the steps when they weaken. We make sure the climb remains possible for everyone to come. And um Ethereum is entering a new phase.

It is a phase that defined by uh three abilities. This is ability to one of the ability is to remain the reliable under the pressure. And also the ability to evolve with the feedback from community. And then is is the ability to practice with the real stewardship. And um reliability is not uh just a slogan. It is something that we have to earn block by block.

Ethereum has delivered um like every major upgrades uh with 100% life uh network liveness. And we know like Osaka will be the next. Reliability um is something like is something that let people come to build together without fear. You have to know like your uh the step you are standing on is stable. And ever since Ethereum started, it has been 10 years. We celebrated the 10 years cele- uh anniversary today. Yeah.

And um yeah, this year and then Ethereum has 10 years of open access of collaborative um inventions, of the impossible things that become normal. What makes Ethereum reliable is not just luck. It is the work that of many independent teams and then to improve the the different aspects parts of the ecosystem. We do the the test. We have the like over 10 client teams to to work on the protocol.

And then the people who obsess over the details that nobody sees. They are the people like um the invisible labor that keeps the system works and the ladder upright. And then the second one is the uh flexi- flexibleness. It means like we don't um we don't pretend to that we know everything. It means like the EF we listen to people when and tell us like which part of the system doesn't work, which part of the seasons that it should be improved. It means like we adjust it

course with humility. And the ladder gets stronger when we all understand that how people actually climbing. And where the EF is is the EF does not controls Ethereum. We cares about the Ethereum, but we don't control the direction. We support the environment that where the direction emerge. Stewardship is not the power of over Ethereum. It is the contributions and the responsibility.

And Ethereum works also because the people enter from everywhere. No matter you are like a researchers, client teams, app builders, inventor, investors, app users, like scientists, academics and students, or like local community people, beginners or experts. The ladder invites whoever is willing to build something here. And also this is the magic of our community that when someone climbs, they don't climb alone. We'll have so many resource here and then they create another step.

Another step like a step like someone else can stand on. This is how Ethereum compounds together. Yeah, and then here is a quick story of how growth compounds look like and how the ladder gets taller. So, imagine like we have a user that discovers um crypto. And then they started with maybe it was the defy use case and I get more of get more with defy like to to earn what they wanted.

But this is just the the start of the his journal. They may spend much more time and learning about ethereum. They the more they read the more they learn then they will get more observed with the technique technology the cultures. And they may meet someone else that interesting in ethereum and learn even more. And then they started to write research on the new way of how to use ethereum in a different ways.

And then app builders get inspired by these researchers this new researchers idea. And then the app builder found the his co-founder at an ethereum hackathon and then they together start to make a product new product. So this is the like a practice of then the product and the reaches to the users which will inspire more and more users to build on this.

And then this is the new step um will be added to the ladder. And then when someone else climb on this it enables billions of people who do something previously through it will be impossible. And this similar stories has been repeated in every hackathon every conference, and then also the online forums. And the cycle repeats. And this week will be the place where the a new inspirations will happen.

This is the ladder. And then it's not a hierarchy, it is a loop. And each step that someone takes um becomes It is like each step someone takes uh becomes the next person's starting point. And then this is how protocol works uh becomes real progress. This is also the apps becomes uh step steps, and then the research become opportunity.

And this is how Ethereum grow taller for all of us, and then for even for the ones that who hasn't uh haven't discovered it yet. The EF uh invest explorations, invested uh the early if explorations in places that uh others probably won't. Um for example, like the early ZK research, the early uh client things development.

And because we see the client diversity is important. And also some early experiments. Many of these um we it wasn't clear at the beginning, but later of the years we found oh these are these many of these becomes serious critical steps that a new ones um we are able to plan something else above these researches. And in the meanwhile, we cannot pretend like uh decentralizations maintained by group maintained by itself. Or like a convenience um comes without any trade-offs.

Or the capture won't happen. So, honesty and the transparency is also uh what protects Ethereum's time. These are the um like real decentralization, um equitable, neutrality, and resilience under the pressure. These are the steps I we can uh compromise. But also like uh because of um if they It's not because if they break Sorry, it is because like if this um ideas break all the steps will

uh both them will collapse accordingly. And today, after 10 years, uh Ethereum is not just a blockchain. It is a place where the new forms of assets identity culture coordinations can emerge. It is a platform that I that for the ideas um that the world has not discovered yet. And our job is not to climb first. Our job is to make sure that everyone else uh is able to climb higher than we ever will.

Now, um when my family ask me like uh what I do, I can tell them like I help keep the ladder steady. And if someone Some people I never met can climb into the places that I will never reach. Ethereum succeeds because no single thing owns it. Um not the EF, not the L2s, uh one single validator. We rise only because we rise together.

The future of Ethereum will not just built by the people uh on the stage today. It will be built by the people in this room and people at home right now. By your experiments, um by your imagination, by your courage to stand on the step. Ethereum does not promise an easy calm. It a promise a fair chance for everyone to join. A climb that where every step changes what is possible.

A promise is simple. We will do a quiet and glamorous work that keeps Ethereum stable. So, when people works on this, it will make it extraordinary. Thank you for being part of this journey, and thank you for believing in this open system. Thank you for building the next step together. Ethereum is a ladder, and we will climb it together. Thank you. >> That was awesome.

Thank you so much. So, we have time for I think three questions from the audience. Um, the most important one is Bulbasaur your favorite Pokémon? This is the most important >> This is not just a my favorite Pokémon, it's the best Pokémon. >> There you go. Official answer. Um, second question is it's actually Bulbasaur related. If Ethereum is Bulbasaur, how do we fend the Charmanders off? >> With how do we >> fend the Charmanders off? How do we protect Ethereum?

>> From from fire. >> Yeah. I've >> Um I think This metaphor is like trust me. Crazy but I think So like in the philosophy of Babas is to grow with the land with the It actually the It grows with the the friends. I think it's about coordination.

I mean there's so many Pokemon means here about Babas but we can talk next time. It's like about I think Babas is a good coordinator and that's also Ethereum is. >> Coordinating when What is the one thing you'd say you're most excited about for 2026? Is there one thing or is there many things? >> I think it will be continue with the the trend of 2025. It will be an the second stage of what we see in 2025. We will see more adoptions. We will see more people in real world use Ethereum use the DeFi protocol use the like open zero knowledge

technologies in real life. Yeah. >> Do you think the ladder is becoming easier to climb? >> Mhm. I think for for the new people join yes. I think this is a stable stable ladder right now like for newcomers to to join but on the top of course is every new inventions every new step is will be somewhat challenging but with the people in the community I think it will we'll make it.

Yeah. >> Awesome. Can we get another round of applause for Shaw Way please? >> Thank you. >> Thank you.