In the article Making Ethereum alignment legible, #VitalikButerin addresses a central challenge within the #Ethereum ecosystem: balancing decentralization with cooperation. He highlights the diversity of entities working on Ethereum—client teams, researchers, developers, and community groups—all with their own visions. The key challenge is ensuring these efforts align to build a cohesive Ethereum ecosystem rather than fragmented silos.
Buterin proposes that the concept of "Ethereum alignment" should be more clearly defined to avoid ambiguity and potential manipulation. He outlines different forms of alignment:
1. Values alignment: Projects should strive to be open-source, minimize centralization, and support public goods.
2. Technological alignment: Projects should follow ecosystem-wide standards like existing #ERCs or contribute by writing new ones.
3. Economic alignment: Projects should use $ETH where possible and contribute to the Ethereum ecosystem's growth.
Buterin stresses that metrics are necessary to measure alignment, such as whether a project is open-source, interoperable with Ethereum standards, or decentralized enough to withstand insider or external attacks. He advocates for a move away from a social game of aligning with the "right people" and toward a merit-based approach where success is determined by meeting clear, quantifiable criteria.
He emphasizes the importance of "positive-sum" contributions that benefit the Ethereum community and the broader world, including public goods, financial inclusion, and innovations that extend beyond cryptocurrency.
Finally, Buterin suggests the need for independent entities, like L2beat, that can track how well projects adhere to these alignment metrics, creating a transparent system where support and engagement are based on clearly defined merit rather than social influence.