Vitalik Buterin: Open Systems Need Standards, Not Forced Adoption

Source: CoinTribune Original Title: Crypto: Vitalik Buterin criticizes the forced adoption of Bitcoin and the anything-goes culture Original Link: https://www.cointribune.com/en/crypto-vitalik-buterin-criticizes-the-forced-adoption-of-bitcoin-and-the-anything-goes-culture/

Ethereum: An Open But Not Neutral System

Vitalik Buterin recently emphasized a crucial distinction in the crypto industry: being open does not mean saying yes to everything. In a broad interview, the Ethereum founder set clear limits on what an open ecosystem should tolerate.

Buterin points out that the Luna platform was not built on Ethereum by accident. The Terra Luna collapse represents more than a code or market failure—it reflects a cultural issue. Ethereum is open, but it maintains natural filtering through standards, requirements, and a particular approach to risk assessment.

He emphasizes a frequently misunderstood point: in an open system, you cannot prevent all bad actions, but you can avoid encouraging them. Communities that applaud everything driving price increases ultimately harm themselves. A project promising 20% risk-free returns and receiving universal retweets exemplifies this problem.

Buterin describes crypto as a high-variance space containing both brilliant, technically-focused builders and opportunistic actors. The issue arises when communities welcome bad actors without scrutiny. Reputation—an invisible but vital asset in crypto—suffers as a result. When reputation collapses, the ecosystem stops attracting genuine builders and instead attracts those seeking to exploit others’ trust.

As Buterin states bluntly: if you are too friendly, you don’t just attract builders, you also attract the worst profiles. The Do Kwon case exemplifies this pattern: hype, blindness, collapse, and then the entire sector pays the credibility cost.

Bitcoin Maximalism and Forced Adoption

Buterin becomes particularly sharp when addressing certain Bitcoin circles. He denounces the reflexive celebration of wealthy or powerful figures merely for showing Bitcoin support, regardless of their methods or how they wield influence. This complacency weakens the ecosystem by conflating promotion with legitimacy.

His primary example: Nayib Bukele and Bitcoin’s adoption in El Salvador through top-down mandate. Some maximalists overlooked public liberty and democracy concerns because only one metric mattered—a country adopting Bitcoin. The method was irrelevant to them.

Buterin clearly denounces this approach: forced adoption is inherently fragile. While prices rise, it holds. Once prices fall and the constraint remains, it cracks. When price drops and adoption is imposed, the entire system becomes unsustainable.

Buterin does not reject mass adoption itself—he rejects the methodology. Crypto succeeds when people are convinced, not coerced. In El Salvador’s case, real usage failed to materialize as expected because the logic was inverted: they sought to impose before persuading. When volatility arrived, as always, adherence evaporated. Lasting trust cannot be built through administrative obligation.