{"id":11190,"date":"2025-09-19T08:24:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T08:24:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/if-web3-wants-to-be-taken-seriously-it-should-follow-ethereums-lead-opinion\/"},"modified":"2025-09-19T08:24:15","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T08:24:15","slug":"if-web3-wants-to-be-taken-seriously-it-should-follow-ethereums-lead-opinion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/if-web3-wants-to-be-taken-seriously-it-should-follow-ethereums-lead-opinion\/","title":{"rendered":"If web3 wants to be taken seriously, it should follow Ethereum\u2019s lead | Opinion"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"post-detail__content blocks\">\n<div class=\"cn-block-disclaimer\">\n<div class=\"cn-block-disclaimer__icon\">\n            <svg class=\"icon icon-info\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><use xlink:href=\"#icon-info\"><\/use> <\/svg>        <\/div>\n<p class=\"cn-block-disclaimer__content\">\n            Disclosure: The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to the author and do not represent the views and opinions of crypto.news\u2019 editorial.        <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- .cn-block-disclaimer --><\/p>\n<p>In July, Ethereum (ETH) hit a significant milestone of <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/news\/ethereum-turns-10-booms-busts-history\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">ten years<\/a> without downtime. What started as an experiment a decade ago has grown into one of the most significant and influential blockchains globally.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div id=\"cn-block-summary-block_3d6cf7a6a44ffd4d72a3b77f30da62ec\" class=\"cn-block-summary\">\n<div class=\"cn-block-summary__nav tabs\">\n        <span class=\"tabs__item is-selected\">Summary<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"cn-block-summary__content\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ethereum faces fierce rivals like Solana and Avalanche, but its edge lies not in speed or fees \u2014 it\u2019s in governance, transparency, and fiscal discipline.<\/li>\n<li>The Ethereum Foundation is raising the bar with structured treasury policies and quarterly reports, signaling maturity and accountability as it moves beyond its experimental phase.<\/li>\n<li>Governance is a survival tool, not a nice-to-have \u2014 while many L1s still hide decisions or centralize voting power, Ethereum treats transparency as essential to long-term sustainability.<\/li>\n<li>The lesson for web3 is clear: credibility, not hype, will decide which networks endure. Ethereum is handing competitors its playbook \u2014 but only those who adopt it will stay relevant.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- .cn-block-summary --><\/p>\n<p>Today, however, Ethereum is no longer the only game in town. It faces increased competition from blockchain rivals like Solana (SOL), Avalanche (AVAX), and newer layer-1s that promise faster transaction speeds, lower gas fees, and smoother user experiences, all challenging its dominance. But while debates are still centred around gas fees and transaction speeds, a deeper lesson is being overlooked.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Despite recent fluctuations, Ethereum\u2019s ability to enact governance, fiscal, and technological reforms continues to set benchmarks that rival networks must eventually measure up to, if they hope to match its credibility and adoption.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- .cn-block-related-link --><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Governance that leads by example\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p>Earlier this year, the Ethereum Foundation <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/news\/ethereum-foundation-new-treasury-policy-18-months-pivotal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">announced<\/a> its plans to adopt a more structured and transparent treasury policy, linking its ETH reserves directly to operating costs and cash needs. Hsiao-Wei Wang, co-executive director of Ethereum Foundation, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theblock.co\/post\/357066\/ethereum-foundation-expects-2025-26-to-be-pivotal-for-the-ecosystem-as-it-reforms-its-treasury-management\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">explained<\/a> that 2025-26 are\u00a0 \u201clikely to be pivotal for Ethereum, warranting enhanced focus on critical deliverables.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As part of this plan, the foundation will publish quarterly and annual reports that outline its holdings, investment performance, and key advancements. This is a clear sign of Ethereum\u2019s continued maturity, acknowledging that the stakes are higher and Ethereum has moved past its experimental phase. It now supports a global community featuring more projects, institutions, and enterprises that demand stability.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Ethereum has identified governance as a practical tool for keeping its network accountable while ensuring long-term sustainability. This is in contrast to other networks that reduce governance to an empty ritual or manage treasuries with little oversight.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Ethereum institutionalizes transparency not just as a nice-to-have but as a survival mechanism that strengthens its development. It\u2019s time for the rest of the industry to stop treating it as optional because, without it, protocols will crumble one after another under the pressure of evolution.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Transparent governance isn\u2019t optional<\/h2>\n<p>Ethereum has long been the heart of web3, and its status isn\u2019t just about developer-friendly smart contracts. Sure, networks like Solana, Avalanche, Cardano (ADA), and most other leading L1s are marketing themselves as faster and cheaper alternatives, but if they fail to acknowledge their own blind spots, they risk losing credibility.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Competition in this industry isn\u2019t a threat; in fact, it\u2019s fuel. For Ethereum, it\u2019s a chance to confront tough questions: How do you balance decentralization and usability? How do you scale without cutting corners? Ethereum isn\u2019t dodging these issues. Instead of avoiding challenges, Ethereum puts its issues front and center for its community, inviting community feedback, discussions, and debates.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Transparency and fiscal discipline can\u2019t be treated as optional add-ons; they\u2019re essentials.\u00a0 Without them, web3 won\u2019t move beyond its niche crowd. Unfortunately, the industry still lives in the shadow of rug pulls, fraudulent projects, and shallow, hype-driven projects with no real products. Ethereum\u2019s fiscal reform shows that taking a hard look in the mirror, while sometimes inconvenient and painful, is the best path to building protocols that last.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s important to remember that Ethereum is an exception, not the rule. Plenty of layer-1 networks continue to struggle with transparency and decentralization, with many failing to acknowledge the problem. Most of the time, decisions are made behind closed doors, leaving people with little to no explanation of what was decided, when, or why. In several proof-of-stakes systems, the problem runs even deeper, as voting power is concentrated in the hands of select validators or entities, further centralizing decision-making, a concept blockchains are trying to move away from.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>To avoid this level of centralization, protocols could follow a model where governance discussions are recorded, transcribed, and published, much like board meetings of major corporations. Voting records should also be posted in community forums so people can see exactly how validators, delegates, or token holders voted. That way, it becomes harder for insiders to push through unpopular initiatives.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>By publicizing its playbook, Ethereum is essentially giving the competition a head start by providing the recipe for governance and financial blind spots. It\u2019s laying out the pitfalls of protocol maturity so others don\u2019t have to learn the hard way.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Long-term success in web3 will belong to networks grounded in credibility, the space\u2019s true currency. Ethereum\u2019s growing pains are the industry\u2019s growing pains. Projects that take these lessons will build lasting relevance, while the ones that don\u2019t will get lost in the hype.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- .cn-block-related-link --><\/p>\n<div class=\"cn-block-author author-card\">\n<div class=\"author-card__photo\"><\/div>\n<p><!-- .author-card__photo --><\/p>\n<div class=\"author-card__content\">\n<div class=\"author-card__name\">\n                James Wo            <\/div>\n<p><!-- .author-card__name --><\/p>\n<div class=\"author-card__bio\">\n<p><b>James Wo<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, founder and CEO of DFG since its establishment in 2015, is a seasoned entrepreneur and crypto space investor. He currently manages a portfolio exceeding $1 billion in assets. With a track record as an early investor, James has supported companies such as Ledger, Coinlist, Circle, and ChainSafe.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- .author-card__bio --><\/p>\n<div class=\"author-card__social\">\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/james-wo-272904114\/\" class=\"community-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" aria-label=\"LinkedIn\"><\/p>\n<p>    <svg class=\"community-link__icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n        <use xlink:href=\"#icon-social-linkedin\"><\/use>\n    <\/svg><\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/realjameswo\" class=\"community-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" aria-label=\"Twitter\"><\/p>\n<p>    <svg class=\"community-link__icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n        <use xlink:href=\"#icon-social-twitter\"><\/use>\n    <\/svg><\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- .author-card__social --><\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- .author-card__content --><\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- author-card --><\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Disclosure: The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to the author and do not represent the views and opinions of crypto.news\u2019 editorial. In July, Ethereum (ETH) hit a significant&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11191,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cryptocurrency"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11190"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11190\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11192,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11190\/revisions\/11192"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}