Bitcoin proposes a new approach to balancing power in decentralized systems

Co-founder of Ethereum Vitalik Buterin recently highlighted in his post the serious challenges facing modern society. His analysis focuses on how large corporations, government structures, and mass movements accumulate disproportionate power, creating a threat to fair distribution of influence.

The current system of restraints does not work

Traditional mechanisms designed to limit the power of powerful institutions are gradually losing effectiveness in the 21st century. Buterin explains this with the exponential development of technology and automation, which allow leading players to concentrate control at an unprecedented speed.

In his view, rapid progress creates economies of scale that benefit those who already hold power. Additionally, he points to a troubling trend in the tech sector: company leaders who previously adhered to libertarian principles are now actively trying to maximize their influence on government policy.

Mandatory diffusion as a solution

Instead of relying on natural friction, Buterin proposes artificially implementing influence distribution mechanisms. He introduces the concept of “adversarial interoperability” — creating tools that can operate in parallel with existing platforms without permission from their operators.

Practical examples of this approach include:

• Alternative interfaces for content filtering (ad blockers, AI systems)
• Value transfer channels that bypass centralized financial intermediaries
• Open protocols competing with closed ecosystems

Buterin cites Sci-Hub as a successful example of a tool that ensured fairness in scientific communication through such distribution.

Moral pluralism in blockchain

Buterin’s central idea is synthesizing different moral systems: one that allows actors to be influential but not become hegemons. Using Lido, a liquid staking protocol on Ethereum, as an example, he demonstrates how decentralization can work in practice.

Lido controls about 24% of the total staked ETH tokens, but Buterin emphasizes that this is less concerning compared to a centralized structure of the same scale. This is because Lido operates as a decentralized organization (DAO) with several dozen independent operators, rather than as a monolithic entity.

At the same time, Buterin stresses that the community constantly monitors the situation to prevent the concentration of the majority of stakes in a single player.

Conclusion

The dilemma posed by Buterin remains relevant: how to build a thriving civilization in the digital era without extreme concentration of power? His answer is simple but radical — to make decentralization not optional, but mandatory through the development of tools and systems that objectively prevent excessive concentration.