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 performanceWhat it means that its launch on two testnets failedEthereum’s “north star” — decentralizationWhether Ethereum can retain its top spot in the smart contract spaceAs 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
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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 2021Previous coverage on Unchained of:Etherealize advocates for EthereumWhy Ethereum’s New Marketing Arm Is Convinced Wall Street Will Adopt ETHEthereum Foundation contemplates comebackEthereum Is Lagging. Here’s How It Could Finally Shake Off Rival Solana2025 Will Be a Year of Crypto Competition. Can Ethereum Make a Comeback?What Ethena means for EthereumEthena’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 FutureThe Pectra UpgradeEthereum.org: Pectra Testnet Announcement | Ethereum Foundation Blogtim.mirror.xyz: AllCoreDevs Update 17Ethereum.org: EIP-7691: Blob throughput increaseEthereum.org: Holesky and Hoodi Testnet Updates | Ethereum Foundation BlogCoindesk: Hello, Hoodi: Ethereum Welcomes a New Testnet Fusaka on the horizonGithub: EIP-7805 proposed for FusakaNative rollups versus non-native rollupsYoutube: The Future of Ethereum Scaling: Native Rollups ExplainedReddit: Native rollup debatesL1 and L2 debatesVitalik.eth.limo: Reasons to have higher L1 gas limits even in an L2-heavy EthereumVitalik.eth.limo: Scaling Ethereum L1 and L2s in 2025 and beyondEthereum Foundation Leadership changesX: Barnabe Monnot and Alex Stokes announcementX: New EF titlesX: Fixing the Core Dev processEthena’s Converge news John Wang’s tweetCamila Russo’s commentTimestamps:
👋 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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