Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has outlined a new technical direction for the network, called the “Lean Ethereum” strawmap, which focuses on three main priorities: quantum resistance, scalability, and privacy. In a post on X, Buterin said these upgrades will roll out over the next three to four years and affect nearly every layer of Ethereum, similar in scale to the September 2022 Merge that moved the network away from energy-intensive mining.
Shifting priorities and urgent needs
Buterin noted that quantum safety has “shifted up a LOT in priority” and that finalizing a quantum-safe solution for blobs has become urgent. Enhancing privacy is another key goal, which he described as a “first class goal.” The strawmap timeline spans from 2026 to 2029, according to a source called Strawmap.org.
These changes come amid a series of shifts at the Ethereum Foundation, which laid off about 20% of its staff last month to become leaner and reduce its budget by 40%. Several executives have left in recent months, including Hsiao-Wei Wang and Tomasz Stańczak, along with protocol contributors Tim Beiko and Barnabé Monnot in May.
Buterin is also pushing for a new virtual machine, such as leanISA or RISC-V, to support programmable privacy and better scalability. This could help address some of the network’s longstanding limitations, though the details remain somewhat vague.
Concerns about the timeline
Not everyone is convinced by Buterin’s schedule. Dankrad Feist, a researcher behind the payments-focused layer-1 Tempo blockchain, praised the plan but argued the 3-4 year timeline is too slow. He suggested that AI could help developers ship the upgrades within a year.
Crypto analyst Ignas Fiodorovas also expressed support for the plan but cast doubt on the Ethereum Foundation’s ability to deliver on time, pointing to the organization’s history of missing deadlines. Fiodorovas noted that the only key feature missing from the roadmap was improved tokenomics for Ether (ETH), which has continued to slide in price amid a broader market downturn.
The debate highlights the tension between ambitious technical goals and practical execution. While the strawmap offers a clear vision, questions remain about whether Ethereum can stick to this timeline and give investors confidence in the network’s future.
