Ethereum’s Strategic Pivot: The Plan it Needs to Win
Bankless
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4.8 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 21 April 2025
⏱️ 80 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Ethereum Foundation researchers Dankrad Feist and Ansgar Dietrichs join David Hoffman and Michael Ippolito to discuss Ethereum’s identity crisis—and how it’s turning the ship around.
They break down Ethereum’s cultural and organizational challenges, the pivot toward L1 growth, and the evolving role of the Ethereum Foundation under new leadership. The conversation covers the future of base and native rollups, L2 alignment, and why Ethereum’s unique values still matter in a competitive landscape.
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TIMESTAMPS
00:00:00 Intro
00:05:42 Top Problems with Ethereum
00:12:33 Lack of Growth in Ethereum Layer 1
00:27:49 Ethereum’s Roadmap Dilemma
00:38:08 Layer 1 Scaling Progress
00:39:08 Ethereum L1’s Value Proposition to L2s
00:48:44 Base and Native Rollups Explained
00:57:25 Canonical EVM in a Rollup World
01:01:26 Vitalik’s Vision for L1 Scaling
01:05:59 ZK Scaling Becomes Real
01:08:12 Fast Block Times and DeFi
01:16:59 The Evolving Ethereum Core Culture
01:22:38 Other Interesting Changes
01:26:41 Ethereum’s Direction Feels Different Now
01:30:09 Closing and Disclosure
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RESOURCES
Dankrad Feist
https://x.com/dankrad
Ansgar Dietrichs
https://x.com/adietrichs
Mike Ippolito
https://x.com/MikeIppolito_
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | What does Ethereum get from having L2s, right? |
| 0:02.8 | Because I think some people are now all the way on the end of the spectrum. |
| 0:05.4 | They're like, oh, the role of centric roadmap was a big mistake. |
| 0:07.3 | I think that's wrong. |
| 0:08.3 | I think we are quite confident. |
| 0:09.8 | With that imprint, that's the right roadmap. |
| 0:11.6 | Again, we just neglected the L1. |
| 0:13.4 | It's a raw-up centric roadmap around a very strong L2. |
| 0:16.2 | That's where we basically need to get, right? And so what is the benefit of having the altus? I think there's two that I see, and I think over time maybe we will see two different types |
| 0:23.2 | or like some differentiation between the L2s. |
| 0:25.0 | I think one role Al2s can fill is like... |
| 0:31.5 | Welcome to Bankless, where we explore the frontier of internet money and internet finance. |
| 0:38.2 | And today we're exploring the frontier of Ethereum. |
| 0:40.6 | Bankless Nation, the Ethereum ship is slowly turning itself around. |
| 0:44.3 | As the largest decentralized ecosystem, this is a slow process. |
| 0:47.6 | The signals that something is wrong in Ethereum have gotten stronger and stronger, |
| 0:52.0 | as other ecosystems have grown in strength and |
| 0:54.8 | captured the marginal growth of the industry, all while the ETH price has lagged the market for |
| 0:59.5 | almost three years now. |
| 1:01.0 | In 2025, it's no longer about whether there is or is not a problem, but rather what the |
| 1:05.7 | exact nature of that problem is and what Ethereum should do about it. |
| 1:09.5 | Joining me as co-host of this episode is my friend, Mike Ibelito, who helps me interview |
... |
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