The Ethereum price has surged 2% in the last 24 hours to trade at $3,350 after co-founder Vitalik Buterin called for a major simplification of the protocol.
Buterin warned that Ethereum’s increasing complexity, driven by the continuous addition of new features without removing outdated ones, poses a threat to trustlessness, self-sovereignty, and long-term sustainability. According to him, even a highly decentralized system with strong security measures can fail if its codebase becomes too complicated for users to understand or rebuild independently.
Buterin highlighted three main risks caused by protocol bloat. First, users are forced to rely on experts, or “high priests,” to explain how the system works, weakening trust. Second, Ethereum fails the “walkaway test,” as rebuilding high-quality clients would be nearly impossible if development teams disappear. Third, self-sovereignty is compromised because even technically skilled users cannot fully inspect or reason about the system.
An important, and perenially underrated, aspect of "trustlessness", "passing the walkaway test" and "self-sovereignty" is protocol simplicity.
Even if a protocol is super decentralized with hundreds of thousands of nodes, and it has 49% byzantine fault tolerance, and nodes fully… pic.twitter.com/kvzkg11M3c
— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) January 18, 2026
Buterin Calls for Ethereum “Garbage Collection”
To address these challenges, Buterin urged Ethereum developers to introduce “garbage collection,” a process aimed at simplifying the protocol. This involves removing rarely used features, reducing lines of code, limiting reliance on complex cryptographic primitives, and introducing fixed rules, or invariants, to make client behavior more predictable. He pointed to previous upgrades, such as Ethereum’s shift from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake and recent gas cost reforms, as examples of effective simplification.
Future changes could move less essential features into smart contracts, easing the burden on client developers while maintaining network security. In contrast, Solana Labs CEO Anatoly Yakovenko argued that blockchains must keep evolving to meet user and developer needs. He emphasized that constant iteration is vital for Solana’s survival, even if no single team drives the changes. Buterin, however, maintained that Ethereum should eventually reach a state where it can operate securely and predictably for decades without ongoing developer intervention.
Ethereum Price Eyes Upside After Key Support Bounce
The 4-hour Ethereum chart shows clear signs of bullish momentum. Price recently bounced off a strong support level around $2,950–$3,000, which has held multiple times over the past month. This support has acted as a solid foundation, allowing Ethereum to recover from previous declines.
Before this bounce, Ethereum was moving in a bearish channel, making lower lows and lower highs. The recent breakout above this channel marked a key trend reversal, signaling that buyers are regaining control. Between January 10 and January 16, a rounded bottom pattern developed, which often signals a shift from bearish to bullish sentiment.
This pattern reflects a period of accumulation, where sellers gradually lost influence and buyers began gaining momentum. The rounded bottom now supports price consolidation above $3,300, showing that the market has stabilized and is preparing for potential further gains.
On the upside, there is a clear resistance zone between $3,350 and $3,400. Ethereum has tested this area multiple times but has struggled to break above it decisively. Currently, the price is consolidating just below this zone, forming a potential springboard for the next upward move.
A confirmed breakout above $3,400 could open the door to a reward zone near $3,550–$3,600, representing the next likely target for bullish traders. RSI analysis further supports this positive outlook. The Relative Strength Index sits around 59, below overbought levels, suggesting there is still room for Ethereum to move higher before encountering selling pressure. The RSI has steadily strengthened after recovering from previous dips, highlighting growing buying momentum in the market.