Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko stated that blockchain protocols must constantly 'evolve' in order to survive.
In a January 17 post on the social media platform X, Yakovenko noted that the longevity of a network is inextricably linked to its capacity for evolution.
Yakovenko Outlines Solana's AI-Driven Future
He explained that for blockchain to avoid becoming obsolete, it must never cease to change in order to meet the evolving needs of developers and users.
Yakovenko wrote that continued existence requires constant usefulness, so the primary goal of protocol modifications should be to solve a problem for a developer or user. This doesn't mean solving every problem; in fact, saying no to most problems is essential.
Yakovenko envisioned a future where Solana doesn't rely on a single individual or core engineering team to drive these developments. Instead, he indicated that protocol upgrades should stem from a diverse and decentralized community of contributors. The Solana executive also pointed out that artificial intelligence could play a pivotal role in supporting the network's rapid evolution by shaping its governance and writing its code in the future.
Yakovenko claimed that the LLM could generate precise SIMD specifications that the LLM could then verify for completeness, clarity, and implementation. He noted that the only significant step would be agreement and soak testing on the testnet.
This approach would allow the network to achieve self-improvement at a pace that human teams alone could not match.
At the same time, Yakovenko's comments directly address a recent strategic vision presented by Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin.
Buterin recently introduced the concept of "withdrawal testing." This represents a point at which the Ethereum network becomes self-sufficient and continues to operate permanently without relying on its founding developers.
Buterin explained that in this vision, Ethereum would reach a state of "hardening," meaning that the network's value would derive from the protocol's longevity rather than from promises of future benefits. Buterin acknowledged that Ethereum must continue to evolve in the short term, but emphasized that the network aims to stabilize the protocol after overcoming specific technical hurdles.
These hurdles include the need for complete resistance to quantum computing, sufficient scalability, and a permanent state architecture.
This intellectual clash highlights two distinct paths for the cryptocurrency market.
Buterin outlined a roadmap that positions Ethereum as a reliable settlement system focused on security and immutability to inspire trust.
On the other hand, Yakovenko presented a strategy that positions Solana as a high-growth technology platform. This means the network prioritizes speed and rapid adaptation to capture market share in a competitive environment.
