Is Ethereum high?
Ethereum
2.00%
for the most part, it does what it promises; nothing less, nothing more. However, it seems that ETH founder Vitalik Buterin believes that the foundations have not done enough.
Buterin issues a challenge as 2025 closes, and it has to do with whether ETH drifts away from its original goal.
GET: The Next 1000X Crypto: 10+ Crypto Tokens That Can Hit 1000x by 2025
What is Vitalik Buterin’s New Warning for 2026?
Welcome to 2026! Milady is back.
Ethereum did a lot in 2025: gas limits increased, blob count increased, node software quality improved, zkEVMs exploded with their performance milestones, and with zkEVMs and PeerDAS ethereum made its biggest step in becoming a base…
— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) January 1, 2026
In a New Year’s message, Vitalik Buterin urged developers to stop chasing short-term trends and start building applications that are both scalable and truly decentralized. Ethereum, he argued, should act as “World computer,” it’s not a less open version of the subscription-driven platforms that dominate Big Tech.
Hm, anyone hear that?
Buterin stressed that decentralized applications must pass what he called a “walkway test.” If the original developers disappear, the app will still have to work without censorship, hacking, or third-party gatekeepers.
“To achieve this, it needs to be used at scale and actually decentralized,” said Vitalik Buterin, the founder of Ethereum. “Apps must continue to work even if the original developers leave,” he added.
The subtext is clear that many Ethereum applications still rely on centralized infrastructure while marketing themselves as untrusted.
DISCOVER: 20+ Next Crypto to Explode in 2025
Was Ethereum’s 2025 Development Quietly Changing the Game?
In 2025, the Ethereum community is quietly building a better protocol. The development of Pectra increased capacity and streamlined the way accounts and verifiers work. Fusaka closed the year by measuring data availability with PeerDAS.
However, the market did not notice. Ether ended the year hovering near $3,000, well below the narrative many had expected.
FIND OUT: Top 20 Cryptos to buy in 2025
Data Tells The ETH Story, The Price Charts Have It
Ethereum
2.00%
On-chain metrics help explain Ethereum’s disconnection. According to CoinGecko, Ether is underperforming many of its large-cap peers in 2025 despite steady growth activity. DeFi Llama shows the total amount locked in Ethereum is holding steady, suggesting developers stay while the coin circulates elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Glassnode data shows that long-term holders remain stagnant, even as short-term sellers have lost interest.
As it stands, Ethereum is caught in an identity crisis. The price of ETH is trading near multi-month lows, and the debate over its future is here.
Follow 99Bitcoins on X For Latest Market Updates Subscribe To YouTube For Daily Expert Market Analysis
WATCH: Singapore Rejects Do Kwon’s $14M Refund Demand for ‘Stolen’ Penthouse
Join 99Bitcoins News Discord Here For Latest Market Updates
Key Takeaways
- Ethereum is caught in an identity crisis. The price of ETH is trading near multi-month lows, and the debate over its future is here.
- Buterin issues a challenge as 2025 closes, and it has to do with whether ETH drifts away from its original goal.
Why you can trust 99Bitcoins
Founded in 2013, 99Bitcoin team members have been crypto experts since the early days of Bitcoin.
90+ hours
Weekly survey
100k+
Monthly students
50+
Professional contributors
2000+
Crypto projects reviewed
Follow 99Bitcoins in your Google news feed
Get the latest updates, trends, and information delivered right to your fingertips. Register now!
Register now 
