Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin declared on January 14, 2026, that the technological prerequisites for the original Web3 vision are now fully operational. In an extensive statement, he urged developers to shift their focus away from speculative narratives and toward building decentralized applications that permanently protect user rights and ownership.
Buterin argued that the ecosystem has effectively solved its core scaling and privacy challenges, citing the maturity of zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machines (ZK-EVMs) and Layer-2 solutions as the critical tipping point. He stated that these technologies now allow the network to support high-performance applications across finance, social media, and governance without relying on centralized intermediaries.
The core of his argument drew a philosophical distinction between two types of software. He criticized modern centralized services as "corposlop"—software that surveils users, locks features behind subscription walls, and can be remotely disabled. In contrast, he called for builders to create "hammers," defined as tools a user buys once and owns forever. A hammer does not require an account, does not spy on the user, and never stops working.
To validate his claims, Buterin pointed to specific, working protocols. He highlighted Waku, a privacy-focused messaging layer evolved from Whisper that powers apps like Status, and Fileverse, a decentralized workspace alternative to Google Docs built on Ethereum and Gnosis Chain. He noted that Fileverse, in particular, passes the "walkaway test," meaning the application continues to function fully even if its original developers disappear or the company shuts down, ensuring true user ownership.
Buterin reinforced his earlier comparisons of Ethereum to foundational technologies like Linux and BitTorrent, emphasizing the network's goal is to serve as neutral, permanent infrastructure. "All of the prerequisites for the original web3 vision are here, in full force, and are continuing to get stronger over the next few years," he said.
Market data from the same day showed Ethereum trading at $3,284, down 1.96% from its daily high, with a 24-hour trading volume of $36.36 billion. The asset maintained an 11% share of the total cryptocurrency market capitalization, which stood at $3.3 trillion.
