David Edwards
Chiliz’s Chief Strategy Officer Max Rabinovitch recently weighed in on Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin’s proposals to address centralization issues within Ethereum’s validator structure, expressing doubts about their broader applicability. While Buterin’s approach aims to curb validator centralization by reducing entry barriers and capping rewards, Rabinovitch argues that these strategies cater specifically to Ethereum’s unique ecosystem and may not translate effectively across all Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-compatible networks.
“Buterin is solving an Ethereum problem, not a universal EVM problem,” Rabinovitch told crypto.news. He emphasized that each blockchain has distinct needs and vulnerabilities, meaning solutions crafted for Ethereum may fail to address structural issues in other networks.
Centralization, which remains a pressing concern for Ethereum, is underscored by the dominance of just two validators responsible for nearly 87% of block production. Rabinovitch points out that such concentration conflicts with blockchain’s founding ethos of decentralization, amplifying the risk of network compromise and censorship.
“Centralization introduces an increased risk of compromise via attack and enables bad actors to censor the blockchain,” he noted, stressing that these risks counter the core purpose of blockchain technology.
Rabinovitch also offered a nuanced view on the “decentralization-or-bust” philosophy prevalent in the crypto space, describing it as overly simplistic. He proposed that a balanced, flexible approach to decentralization, such as selective participant requirements, could provide stability without sacrificing security. He suggested that Ethereum could reduce centralization by introducing rules that limit the frequency with which a node can confirm blocks and by adopting additional operational metrics—like uptime and voting consistency—beyond staking requirements.
Governance, Rabinovitch concluded, is a continuous journey rather than a static target. “Vitalik is doing Ethereum a service in remaining willing to adapt and innovate,” he said. “The real error would be inaction—resisting change in an ecosystem that’s always evolving.”
