Unchained

How Ethereum's Sprawling Pectra Upgrade Will Boost Its Ability to Compete - Ep. 805

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As Ethereum deploys Pectra, it faces stiff competition and community criticism. Ethereum Foundation Research co-leads Alex Stokes and Barnabe Monnot map out the chain’s direction.


Ethereum is well on its way to some major upgrades, with Pectra and Fusaka introducing a number of performance improvements in the near future. But will it be enough to stay ahead of the competition?


Ethereum Foundation Research co-leads Alex Stokes and Barnabe Monnot join the show to discuss:

  • How Pectra and Fusaka will improve Ethereum’s performance
  • What it means that its launch on two testnets failed
  • Ethereum’s “north star” — decentralization
  • Whether Ethereum can retain its top spot in the smart contract space
  • As Ethereum adopts native rollups and data availability, does it create competition with existing L2s and DA providers?
  • The new direction for the Ethereum Foundation leaders and whether Etherealize can bring Wall Street


    • Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com

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    • Bitwise
    Guest:
    Alex Stokes, Co-Lead, Ethereum Foundation Research


    • Barnabe Monnot, Co-Lead, Ethereum Foundation Research
    • Previous appearances on Unchained:
    • 5 Things to Know About Coinbase’s 2021
      • Links
      • Previous coverage on Unchained of:
      • Etherealize advocates for Ethereum
      • Why Ethereum’s New Marketing Arm Is Convinced Wall Street Will Adopt ETH
      • Ethereum Foundation contemplates comeback
      • Ethereum Is Lagging. Here’s How It Could Finally Shake Off Rival Solana
      • 2025 Will Be a Year of Crypto Competition. Can Ethereum Make a Comeback?


        • What Ethena means for Ethereum
        • Ethena’s L1 Shows Fat Apps Are on the Rise. Can They Beat Fat Protocols?
        • The Chopping Block w/ Guy Young: Lessons from USD0, Ethena’s Bold Vision, and DeFi’s Future


          • The Pectra Upgrade
          • Ethereum.org: Pectra Testnet Announcement | Ethereum Foundation Blog
          • tim.mirror.xyz: AllCoreDevs Update 17
          • Ethereum.org: EIP-7691: Blob throughput increase
          • Ethereum.org: Holesky and Hoodi Testnet Updates | Ethereum Foundation Blog
          • Coindesk: Hello, Hoodi: Ethereum Welcomes a New Testnet 
          • Fusaka on the horizon
          • Github: EIP-7805 proposed for Fusaka
          • Native rollups versus non-native rollups
          • Youtube: The Future of Ethereum Scaling: Native Rollups Explained
          • Reddit: Native rollup debates
          • L1 and L2 debates
          • Vitalik.eth.limo: Reasons to have higher L1 gas limits even in an L2-heavy Ethereum
          • Vitalik.eth.limo: Scaling Ethereum L1 and L2s in 2025 and beyond
          • Ethereum Foundation Leadership changes
          • X: Barnabe Monnot and Alex Stokes announcement
          • X: New EF titles
          • X: Fixing the Core Dev process
          • Ethena’s Converge news 
          • John Wang’s tweet
          • Camila Russo’s comment

            • Timestamps:


            👋 0:00 Intro

            🪝 2:05 How Barnabe and Alex got hooked on Ethereum development

            ⚙️ 6:37 How Pectra will change Ethereum

            🪴 10:35 How does increasing blobs boost Ethereum?

            🪲 13:22 Pectra fork bugs on Holeski testnet

            🔮 18:38 What’s in the upcoming Fusaka upgrade?

            🤯 22:42 How decisions get made in Ethereum and which groups are involved

            📈 30:34 Can Ethereum keep up with the competition?

            🏁 39:16 Can Ethereum compete by scaling the L1?

            🤓 44:02 What are native roll-ups and how do they help Ethereum compete?

            🤺 49:26 Native rollups and expanded data availability on Ethereum vs. non-native options

            ⚰️ 52:22 Is Ethena building its own blockchain the “nail in the coffin” for Ethereum?

            👬 1:00:05 Shaking up the EF’s leadership

            🤔 1:06:14 Will Etherealize fix Ethereum’s problems?

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            UnchainedBy Laura Shin