Vitalik Buterin Calls for ‘Garbage Collection’ to Curb Ethereum Bloat

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin argued that protocol complexity, driven by continuously adding features without removing old ones, undermines trustlessness, self-sovereignty, and the ability for new teams to maintain clients (the "walkaway test"). He contends that true security relies more on simplicity than raw decentralization metrics. Buterin called for an explicit "simplification" or "garbage collection" function in Ethereum's development process to reduce code lines, limit complex cryptography, and favor subtractions over additions, which are currently favored due to backward compatibility concerns. He cited the PoW to PoS shift as a successful large-scale reset. In contrast, Solana Labs CEO Anatoly Yakovenko suggested that continuous iteration is essential for a blockchain's survival, while Buterin believes Ethereum should aim for a state where it can operate securely for decades without constant developer intervention.

(Source：Cointelegraph)