Crypto investor Chris Zhong has backed calls by Vitalik Buterin for Ethereum to focus on resilience and decentralization instead of competing with rival blockchains on speed alone.
In a recent post shared on X in response to Vitalik, Zhong said Ethereum’s biggest advantage is its ability to remain difficult to control, censor, or manipulate. He argued that while newer blockchains continue to market faster transactions and lower fees, Ethereum’s long-term value comes from security, neutrality, and openness.
I think the important point is that @ethereum should not try to win by simply being the fastest or most commercially aggressive chain. There will always be another chain willing to optimize harder for speed, lower cost, or short-term adoption. The real value of Ethereum is that…
— Chris Zhong (@cosmicyen) May 25, 2026
Bitcoin and Ethereum still dominate
Zhong noted that despite years of venture capital funding flowing into high-speed blockchain projects, Bitcoin and Ethereum still lead the crypto market in value and influence. According to him, investors may initially focus on speed and low costs during a network’s early growth phase, but decentralization becomes more important as adoption expands.
He added that Ethereum has maintained qualities such as censorship resistance, security, and openness while many competing chains became more centralized in exchange for performance. Zhong argued that these features are difficult to rebuild once a network sacrifices them.
Meanwhile, Ethereum is pushing toward stronger native privacy features as co-founder Vitalik Buterin outlined short-term upgrades designed to improve user protection without major changes to the core protocol.
AI growth increases need for neutral Networks
Zhong also linked the issue to the rapid growth of artificial intelligence. As AI systems begin handling larger amounts of financial activity and digital decision-making, he said the underlying infrastructure must be resistant to outside control or manipulation.
In his view, decentralized networks will become more valuable as governments, corporations, and institutions rely more heavily on automated systems. That could strengthen Ethereum’s position as a trusted settlement layer for high-value digital activity. The investor described decentralization as a core product advantage rather than a secondary feature.
Buterin continues push for long-term Ethereum vision
The comments closely align with Buterin’s recent vision for Ethereum’s future. The Ethereum co-founder has repeatedly warned against trying to compete purely on transaction speed, arguing that doing so could weaken the network’s core strengths.
Instead, Buterin has emphasized improving security, privacy, censorship resistance, and reliable consensus systems. He also called for reducing dependence on intermediaries while keeping Ethereum open and neutral for developers and users globally.
The debate comes as Ethereum faces increasing competition from faster blockchain networks seeking to attract developers, users, and institutional capital.
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