The Current Status and Future Outlook of the Ethereum Ecosystem

Recently, Ethereum has undergone many remarkable changes, such as Vitalik becoming very resolute on Layer 1 scaling, restructuring and layoffs, and showing a more pragmatic approach to work overall. In this episode, we invite Dr. Zhou Qi, founder of EthStorage, and Lawrence, a researcher at Mint Ventures, to discuss the current state and future development of Ethereum.

The Main Issues Currently Facing Ethereum

1. The Layer2 route is inconsistent with the core values of Ethereum, leading to incompatible incentives.
2. The project progress is slow, and the upgrade cycle is long.
3. There are fewer new business models and innovations on-chain.
4. The extreme insistence on decentralization affects efficiency
5. There is a disconnect between the R&D team and the development team.

Ethereum's Reform Trends

1. Shift the focus to Layer 1 expansion, with the goal of expanding 10 times within a year.
2. Conduct organizational restructuring and layoffs
3. Introduce new executive directors to strengthen engineering development capabilities
4. Optimize client performance, such as performance improvements in Geth and Nethermind.
5. Adjust the degree of commitment to decentralization and seek a balance with efficiency.

The Advantages and Opportunities of Ethereum

1. Have a large number of excellent developers and strong network effects.
2. Still has advantages in DeFi and financial applications.
3. There may be performance improvements and cost reductions in the short term.
4. The community and ecosystem are vast.

Outlook on the Future of Ethereum

1. Cautiously optimistic, there may be a rebound in the short term.
2. Long-term development depends on whether it can maintain innovation and a pragmatic attitude.
3. Vitalik's attitude and decisions remain key influencing factors.
4. A better balance needs to be found between decentralization and efficiency.
5. The way of interaction with regulators and mainstream society needs improvement.

Overall, Ethereum still has strong competitiveness, but it also faces many challenges. Future development will depend on its ability to adapt more quickly to market demands and technological changes while maintaining its core values.