Ethereum Turns 10: Experts Reflect on a Decade of Growth
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Fifteen years after its inception, Ethereum enters its second decade poised to fulfill its original vision as a foundational layer for the new financial system.
Michael Egorov, founder of Curve, reflected, “Ethereum is turning 10 years old: The time flies! Over that time, it has grown from an idea to the foundation of the new financial system.”
Kirill Fedoseev, of Blockscout, noted that the milestone isn’t just for one chain but its entire ecosystem: “Ethereum turning 10 marks more than just the anniversary of a single chain. It’s a celebration of an open ecosystem that’s driving some of the most important infrastructure innovation in Web3.”
Anurag Arjun, co-founder of Avail and former Polygon team member, underscored the dramatic growth, quantifying it as “unprecedented” with “24 million daily transactions across multiple layers, 127 million active wallets, $75 billion in DeFi protocols.” This trajectory supports the “modular, rollup-centric thesis.”
Ethnic networking expert Muriel Médard of Optimum highlighted adaptability: “What attracted me most to Ethereum was seeing a decentralized network that could actually evolve and improve over time… adaptability has been validated repeatedly. My next priority is building a faster networking layer.”
Markets are also noticing. Shawn Young of MEXC cited increasing institutional interest, pointing to “16 consecutive days of net inflows totaling over $5 billion” into spot Ether ETFs.
However, challenges remain. Vikram Arun of Superform observed: “Ethereum feels less like an experiment and more like critical infrastructure… We need greater cohesion at the product layer: fintech-like mobile apps with seamless UX.”
Rob Viglione of Horizen Labs emphasized the “slow grind” that has characterized its growth: “Over the past 10 years, Ethereum’s growth has often felt slower than we anticipated… We’ve made meaningful progress in solving many of these problems.” He also highlighted privacy as a priority.
Steven Goldfeder, co-founder of Offchain Labs, shared his excitement about the potential: “What keeps me most excited… is its untapped potential paired with the community’s dedication to transparently and openly building a better system.”
Aryan Sheikhalian of CMT Digital offered caution, warning against Ethereum becoming “the TCP/IP of crypto: essential, invisible, commoditized.” He stressed that maintaining leadership requires “owning standards, liquidity and UX—not just settlement.”
Hart Lambur of UMA and Across painted the end-state vision: “The real endgame is straightforward: a giant payments-and-exchange network that connects every blockchain.” Achieving this necessitates “seamless interoperability and the liquidity battles it will ignite.”
From its “fringe experiment” origins to trillion-dollar ambitions, experts across the ecosystem agree that while the first decade provided a foundation, scaling trust, usability, privacy and culture remains an ongoing mission for the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency platform.
