What if the Ethereum Merge goes wrong?

Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we spend one minute a day to explain crypto. In plain English.

In a previous episode, we discussed the upcoming Ethereum Merge: This is when Ethereum switches to a much more efficient way to validate transactions.

We are very excited about it, because it will reduce Ethereum's energy consumption by over 99.9 percent. Better for the planet? Better for us!

But why did it take Ethereum's team years of planning and building? It all has to do with the big risks that come with the Merge.

Think of it as performing an engine replacement on a running car that is driving down the freeway at high speed. There are over 1 million Ethereum transactions per day. The Ethereum developers have to perform close to a miracle: With the switch of a single button, start processing those on the other engine - without any interruption.

What if this goes wrong? It wouldn't be good. At best, transactions would not process and get queued up, causing Ethereum to grind to a halt for a while. And that would likely have more consequences: A loss of investor confidence, price drops, and possibly developers moving on to other, stable blockchains.

But that being said, we have high confidence in things working out. Not only has this been planned for years by very smart people, but this Merge is actually just the first of three big Ethereum improvements that will happen separately to minimize chances of things failing.

So, keep an eye on it. And now - if someone asks you about the Merge - you have some interesting context to share.

You can learn more about all of this in our Ethereum course on www.cryptohunt.it.

Disclaimer: This podcast references our opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Do your own research and seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice.