Vitalik Buterin sets 2026 as Ethereum's year to reclaim its core ideals

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin said on Friday that the network has drifted from decentralization, privacy, and user control, and he wants 2026 to mark a course correction. He outlined priorities like easier full-node operation, privacy-preserving payments, and resilient app design, and introduced the walkaway test earlier, on January 12, 2026.