Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin is calling for a serious rethink of how the network governs itself, arguing that the current “vibes-based” approach isn’t enough for a system that aims to be truly decentralized and accountable. In a recent post on X, Buterin laid out a vision for Ethereum governance built around a clear two-layer model — one that combines market-based decision-making with a separate, privacy-focused way for the community to set preferences.
At the heart of Buterin’s proposal is a split between execution and preference-setting. The execution layer, he says, should look a lot like a prediction market. Anyone can participate, buy and sell positions, and put real money behind their beliefs. If you make good decisions, you’re rewarded. If you’re wrong, you pay for it. In Buterin’s view, this kind of open market is the best way to run a “decentralized executive” in a permissionless system, because it creates clear incentives and accountability.
But that’s only half of the picture. On top of the market layer, Buterin wants a second system focused on setting values and judging outcomes. This layer, he argues, should be decentralized and pluralistic, leaving room for people who are motivated by more than just financial gain. Crucially, he says it can’t be token-based, since tokens can be bought up by anyone trying to gain control. To reduce the risk of manipulation or collusion, votes in this layer should be anonymous, ideally using zero-knowledge tools like MACI (Minimal Anti-Collusion Infrastructure). In simple terms, Buterin wants Ethereum governance to be guided by both skin-in-the-game markets and a capture-resistant way for the community to express what it actually wants.
Developers quickly jumped into the discussion, pointing out that some projects are already experimenting with similar models. One on-chain analyst summarized Buterin’s idea as a flow from “something like a prediction market” to “a capture-resistant, non-financial preference system.” The team behind Reppo replied that their platform has been live on Base since November 2025, with more than 200 million votes recorded on-chain and thousands of users earning from expressing their preferences. Whether or not Reppo becomes a blueprint, the exchange shows that the ecosystem is actively testing these governance ideas in the wild.
This debate comes as Ethereum continues to push its broader roadmap around rollups, better data availability, and privacy tools. Upcoming upgrades inspired by danksharding-style designs aim to lower costs for complex on-chain apps, including prediction markets and privacy-preserving voting systems. In other words, the technical foundation needed for Buterin’s governance vision is slowly being put in place.
All of this is happening against a mixed market backdrop. Bitcoin is trading around $78,275 with roughly $82.25 billion in 24-hour volume, while another daily reading puts BTC near $78,767 — up about 2.38% on the day but still nearly 19.3% ниже compared to its level a year ago. Ethereum sits close to $2,278, with about $34.94 billion in daily trading volume. Solana, meanwhile, is hovering around $103.91, up roughly 2.4% on the day with $7.72 billion in volume. Prices may be choppy, but interest in smart contract platforms and governance experiments hasn’t gone away.
For Buterin, the takeaway is clear: if on-chain systems want real accountability, they need to move past soft, informal governance. Markets can help execute decisions, but only a well-designed, anonymous, non-token voting layer can protect community values from being captured.
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