Hsiao-Wei Wang, Co-Executive Director of the Ethereum Foundation: Ethereum is a ladder, and we will climb it together
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Hsiao-Wei Wang, Co-Executive Director of the Ethereum Foundation: Ethereum is a ladder, and we will climb it together
Full transcript of Hsiao-Wei Wang's talk at Devconnect ARG.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsSpeaker: Hsiao-Wei Wang (Co-Executive Directors of Ethereum Foundation)
Compiled by: ChainFeeds
Ethereum is a ladder.
It's a system that allows anyone starting from zero to climb upward through their own effort. Every time someone builds something new on it, the system grows one step taller. It's an ever-unfinished ladder because its future is being co-created in this very moment by everyone here.
A ladder is useful because it can "take you somewhere"—a direction, an opportunity, an upward path. Ethereum works the same way. It never promises a fixed destination, but instead offers people a path they can climb at their own pace. Each time someone adds a new rung, those who follow can stand a little higher.
My own earliest involvement was already seven or eight years ago. This year marks a new chapter for Ethereum. Since the Ethereum Foundation completed its leadership transition eight months ago, Tomasz and I have made our first priority ensuring this transition remains stable and smooth—because Ethereum is entering a new phase.
I see this phase defined by three capabilities:
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The ability to remain reliable under pressure.
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The ability to continuously evolve based on community feedback.
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The ability to take responsibility with a true "stewardship" mindset.
Reliability isn't a slogan—it's something we must earn block by block. So far, Ethereum has maintained 100% network uptime and continuous block production through all major upgrades, and we believe Fusaka will be the next example.
Reliability is the prerequisite that allows people to build here "without fear." You must know the rung beneath your feet is solid.
To date, Ethereum has been running for ten years. We just celebrated its 10th anniversary. These past ten years represent countless people building, experimenting, failing, and trying again. And throughout, the system kept running—making it all possible.
The second capability is flexibility.
Flexibility means: we don't pretend to know everything.
It requires us to listen carefully when the community points out "what doesn't work, what needs improvement."
It demands humility—to adjust course when necessary.
Only when we truly understand "how people are climbing this ladder" can the ladder itself become stronger.
As the Ethereum Foundation, we care about Ethereum—but we don't control it. We don't decide the direction. Instead, we maintain the environment where direction can naturally emerge.
Stewardship is not "power over Ethereum," but rather "contribution and responsibility for Ethereum."
Ethereum works because people walk into it from every direction.
Whether you're a researcher, client team member, app developer, investor, end user, scientist, scholar, student, local community organizer—or just a newcomer or seasoned veteran—this ladder welcomes everyone willing to build here.
And the truly magical thing about this community is: when one person climbs up, they're never climbing alone. We have an incredibly rich set of resources and collaboration networks. When someone reaches a new level, they often instinctively add another rung—so the next person can stand upon it.
This is how Ethereum's "compounding effect" is created.
How Does Compounding Happen?
Take a simple example to see what this compounding growth—and the ladder growing ever higher—actually looks like.
Imagine a user encountering crypto for the first time, perhaps through a DeFi use case. They use DeFi to achieve something meaningful to them.
Meanwhile, an explorer, researcher, or analyst observes these real-world behaviors and discovers new ideas.
Somewhere else, an app developer meets their co-founder at an Ethereum hackathon, and they decide to build a completely new product together.
That product soon becomes a source of inspiration for others—it becomes a new platform, a new rung on the ladder.
This ladder is not a pyramid, but a continuously cycling system.
Every step any one person takes becomes the starting point for those who follow.
Work at the protocol layer turns into real-world progress;
Applications become new rungs;
Research becomes new opportunities.
In this way, Ethereum grows "taller" for all of us—and even grows taller for those who haven't yet discovered it.
Early Exploration and Key Rungs
The Ethereum Foundation invests in many early explorations that others might hesitate to fund:
Early fundamental research, early client development, and various experiments that may seem "a bit strange."
At first, many of these things don't appear important—even confusing.
But looking back years later, we realize:
Many have become critically important rungs today. New teams and projects are able to build further precisely because they stand on these earlier research and development achievements.
At the same time, we mustn't pretend:
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Decentralization "maintains itself automatically";
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Convenience comes "without cost";
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The risk of capture by a few individuals "doesn't exist."
What truly protects Ethereum's character is honesty and transparency.
True decentralization, fair neutrality, resilience under pressure—these are rungs we can never compromise.
Not because "maybe compromising a little would still be okay,"
But because if these core principles break, every rung above could collapse together.
More Than a Blockchain—A Soil for New Things
Today, ten years later, Ethereum is no longer just a "blockchain."
It's a soil where:
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New forms of assets can emerge,
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New ways of expressing identity can emerge,
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Cultures and communities can organize in new ways,
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Coordination and collaboration can grow into entirely new forms.
It's a platform for ideas "the world hasn't yet imagined."
And our job isn't to "rush to the top first,"
But to ensure those who come after can climb much higher than we ever could.
Now, when my family asks me "What do you do?" I can answer:
I help keep this ladder stable.
If people I'll never meet can use this ladder to reach places I'll never go—that is Ethereum's success.
Ethereum succeeds because it is owned by no single team.
Not the Ethereum Foundation, not any single Layer 2, not any individual validator.
We rise only when we rise together.
Ethereum's future won't be built only by those on this stage, but by everyone here—and by those watching remotely through screens right now.
Through your experience, your imagination, and your courage to step onto the next rung.
Ethereum never promises "easy arrival."
It promises a fair opportunity open to all—a climb where "each step forward expands what's possible."
Our promise is simple:
We'll keep doing the quiet, unglamorous work that keeps Ethereum stable.
So that when people build on top, what they create has a chance to be truly extraordinary.
Thank you for walking this path together,
Thank you for believing in such an open system,
And thank you for helping build the next rung.
Ethereum is a ladder—and we'll climb it together.
Q&A Session
Q: Is Bulbasaur really your favorite Pokémon?
This was the top-voted question.
Answer: Bulbasaur isn't just my favorite Pokémon—it's the strongest Pokémon.
I also think Bulbasaur makes a great "coordinator." In a way, that's quite similar to Ethereum:
Wins through coordination.
Q: What are you most excited about in 2026? One thing, or many?
I think 2026 will continue the trends started in 2025—more like a "second phase" of 2025.
We'll see more real-world adoption:
More people using Ethereum in daily life, using DeFi protocols, using open zero-knowledge technologies to solve real problems.
Q: Do you think this ladder has become easier to climb?
For newcomers, I'd say yes.
The ladder today is already quite stable, and much easier to take that first step.
Of course, as you climb higher, each new invention and every new rung will still be full of challenges.
But as long as this entire community exists, I believe we can tackle them together.
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