Compilation | Wu Talks Blockchain
One of the most important social challenges in the Ethereum ecosystem is balance - more precisely, the integration of decentralization and collaboration. The ecosystem's strength lies in the many different individuals and organizations - client teams, researchers, Layer 2 teams, application developers, local community organizations - all working towards their own vision for Ethereum's future. The main challenge is to ensure that all these projects can collectively build what looks like a unified Ethereum ecosystem, rather than 138 incompatible small kingdoms.
To address this challenge, many in the Ethereum ecosystem have proposed the concept of 'Ethereum alignment.' This can include alignment of values (e.g., keeping open source, minimizing centralization, supporting public goods), alignment of technology (e.g., adhering to standards across the ecosystem), and alignment of economics (e.g., using ETH as a token whenever possible). However, this concept has historically been vaguely defined, which may pose social control risks: if alignment merely means 'hanging out with the right people,' then the concept of 'alignment' has already failed.
To address this issue, I believe we should clarify the concept of coordination, breaking it down into specific attributes that can be represented with specific metrics. Each person's list of metrics may differ, and metrics may change over time. However, I believe we already have some solid starting points.
Open Source - This has two important values: (i) the code is auditable to ensure security; and more importantly, (ii) it reduces the risk of proprietary technology lock-in and allows permissionless third parties to improve it. Not every part of every application needs to be fully open source, but the core infrastructure components on which the ecosystem relies absolutely should be open source. The gold standard here is the FSF's definition of free software and the OSI's definition of open source.
Open Standards - Strive to achieve interoperability with the Ethereum ecosystem and build based on existing open standards (e.g., ERC-20, ERC-1271, etc.) as well as standards in development (e.g., account abstraction, cross-L2 transfers, L1 and L2 light client proofs, upcoming address format standards). If you want to introduce a new feature that an existing standard does not serve well, please collaborate with others to draft a new ERC. Applications and wallets can be evaluated based on their compatibility with ERC standards.
Decentralization and Security - Avoid trust points, minimize censorship vulnerabilities, and reduce dependency on centralized infrastructure. Metrics can include (i) 'Retreat Test': If your team and server disappear tomorrow, is the application still available? (ii) 'Internal Attack Test': If your team tries to attack the system, how much damage can they cause? An important formal test is the rollup stage from L2beat.
Positive-sum
Contribution to Ethereum - The success of projects should benefit the entire Ethereum community (e.g., ETH holders, Ethereum users), even if they are not part of the project's own ecosystem. Specific examples include using ETH as a token (thereby enhancing its network effects), contributions to open-source technology, and commitments to donate a portion of tokens or revenue to public goods in the Ethereum ecosystem.
Contribution to the Wider World - The goal of Ethereum is to make the world freer and more open, enabling new forms of ownership and collaboration, and making a positive contribution to humanity's significant challenges. Is your project making an impact in this regard? Examples include applications that bring sustainable value to a broader audience (e.g., financial inclusion), donations to public goods beyond Ethereum, and technologies that can also be applied practically outside the crypto space (e.g., funding mechanisms, general computer security).
Ethereum Node Map, Source ethernodes.org
Clearly, none of the above applies to every project. The metrics applicable to Layer 2, wallets, decentralized social media applications, and other projects will vary significantly. Different metrics may also shift in priority: two years ago, it was acceptable for Rollups to still carry 'training wheels' because it was still in the 'early stage'; today, we need to at least reach stage 1 as soon as possible. Currently, the clearest positive-sum metric is the commitment to donate a portion of tokens, and more projects are practicing this; in the future, we may also find other metrics to measure positive-sum aspects.
My ideal goal here is to see more entities like L2beat emerge, tracking the performance of various projects in meeting the above standards as well as other standards proposed by the community. Competition between projects will no longer be about being on good terms with the 'right friends,' but striving to remain as consistent as possible under clearly understandable standards. The Ethereum Foundation should maintain some distance from these activities: we can fund L2beat, but we should not become L2beat. Creating the next L2beat is itself a permissionless process.
This will also provide a clearer path for the Ethereum Foundation and other organizations (and individuals) interested in supporting and participating in the ecosystem to help them decide which projects to support while remaining neutral. Each organization and individual can make judgments based on the criteria they value most and choose projects that align with those criteria. This not only allows the Ethereum Foundation but also others to become part of the incentive structure that keeps projects consistent.
Only by clarifying the definition of 'capability' can we truly become a selection system; otherwise, it could easily turn into an exclusive and zero-sum social game. Regarding the concern of 'who oversees the overseers,' the best solution is not to expect all influencers to be 'angels,' but rather to rely on time-tested techniques, such as power division. Dashboard-type organizations such as L2beat, blockchain explorers, and other ecosystem monitors are excellent examples of this principle at work in today's Ethereum ecosystem. If we can further clarify different aspects of alignment without concentrating all power in a single 'overseer,' we can make this concept more effective and embody it in the fair and inclusive manner that the Ethereum ecosystem pursues.
