Vitalik Buterin advocates social focus in the development of projects on the Ethereum network

• Buterin wants Ethereum to focus on social impact
• Developers should prioritize purposeful dApps
• Ethereum faces pressure to reposition itself

Vitalik Buterin, co-creator of Ethereum, stated that platform developers should prioritize applications with social impact rather than focusing exclusively on technological advances. The speech was made during an interview with Warpcast, in which he proposed a change in mindset about how the network should evolve.

Buterin argues that decentralized applications (dApps) need to go beyond technical efficiency and seek a purpose that aligns with Ethereum’s founding principles. He noted that the application layer exerts a more significant ideological influence than the network’s infrastructure. “The applications you build fundamentally reflect your vision of Ethereum’s role in global transformation,” he said.

Commenting on the network structure, the developer mentioned that the base layer — responsible for the protocol’s operation — represents important philosophical choices, such as the transition to the Proof of Stake model and support for light clients. However, he emphasized that the application layer carries about 80% of the ideological intent, while the base layer reflects about 50%.

During the conversation, Buterin also praised projects such as Railgun, which promotes privacy on the network, and Polymarket, which works with decentralized predictions. On the other hand, he criticized platforms such as Pumpdotfun, classifying them as mere bets with no real added value. He also recalled the problems caused by the collapse of the FTX exchange as an example of what should be avoided.

At a time when Ethereum is facing questions about its stagnation and growing competition from blockchains like Solana and Avalanche, Buterin's speech reinforces the importance of a clearer direction and commitment to social values. The proposal is that the network be used to build solutions with practical relevance and direct impact, instead of serving only as a basis for technical innovations.

At the time of publication, the price of Ether was quoted at $1.666,98, up 5% in the last 24 hours.