$ETH 2025 upgrades matter only if they serve the mission, not the meta.

Vitalik is right: faster blocks and better UX are table stakes. The real question is whether Ethereum can scale without sacrificing decentralization. 2025 laid strong groundwork — improved throughput, more reliable infra, lower barriers to running nodes. But tech progress alone isn’t success.

Chasing short-term narratives — meme politics, artificial activity, hype-driven metas — risks turning Ethereum into just another attention machine. Its edge is different: being a “world computer” where apps are censorship-resistant, permissionless, and survive even if their creators walk away.

The real test now isn’t speed — it’s the walkaway test. If Ethereum can deliver scalable, decentralized apps end-to-end (not just at L1, but at the app layer), it proves its long-term relevance. Otherwise, upgrades are just noise.

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