Ethereum Has Already Won — The Rest Just Haven’t Realized It Yet
As Ethereum approaches its 10th anniversary this July, debates still rage over whether it will become the backbone of global finance and commerce. But according to Paul Brody, longtime Ethereum advocate and blockchain lead at EY, the verdict is already in — Ethereum has won. Companies are now adding ETH to their balance sheets, and the conversation is shifting from “if” to “what’s next.” The doubters, he says, just haven’t caught up.
Brody isn’t new to this game. He got involved in Ethereum over a decade ago, inspired by Vitalik Buterin, and even spearheaded IBM’s early blockchain experiments back in 2015. His perspective? Ethereum is less a financial system and more a tech platform — and tech platforms follow predictable patterns. Just like Windows, Android, or TCP/IP, Ethereum benefits from zero marginal cost and powerful network effects, giving it an almost insurmountable lead.
In tech, the race is rarely close — it's winner-take-most. Once a platform reaches critical mass, everyone else plays catch-up. Ethereum, Brody argues, has hit that tipping point. It’s not just a blockchain anymore — it’s the foundation layer of a new digital economy. Whether the rest of the world realizes it now or five years from now doesn’t change the outcome.