Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has proposed a two-layer governance framework that depends on nameless voting to fight collusion and seize assaults, marking a dramatic reversal from his 2024 stance towards anonymity in crypto.
The system separates accountability mechanisms from preference-setting through the use of prediction markets that feed into an nameless voter consensus, with MACI know-how to scale back coordination dangers.
The proposal addresses a elementary weak point in token-based governance methods the place rich contributors can accumulate 51% management.
Buterin’s shift comes as a number of decentralized social platforms wrestle with governance challenges, together with Farcaster’s latest determination to return $180 million to buyers after failing to attain sustainable progress.
I truly don't suppose it's sophisticated.
IMO the way forward for onchain mechanism design is usually going to suit into one sample:
[something that looks like a prediction market] -> [something that looks like a capture-resistant, non-financialized preference-setting gadget]
In different… https://t.co/VutSyEI8Fd— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) February 2, 2026
Two-Layer Design Separates Execution from Desire-Setting
Buterin outlined his imaginative and prescient in an in depth publish explaining that future onchain mechanism design would comply with one sample: “one thing that appears like a prediction market” feeding into “one thing that appears like a capture-resistant, non-financialized preference-setting gadget.“
The accountability layer maximizes openness by way of market mechanisms that maintain contributors accountable for his or her selections, whereas the choice layer prioritizes decentralization and intrinsic motivation.
The prediction market serves as a “decentralized government” as a result of “probably the most logical primitive for ‘accountability’ in a permissionless idea is strictly that,” Buterin wrote.
Alternatively, methods might use a replaceable centralized government on the accountability layer whereas sustaining decentralized preference-setting.
The choice layer can’t depend on tokens as a result of “token homeowners usually are not pluralistic, and anybody should buy in and get 51% of them,” Buterin defined.
As a substitute, votes ought to be nameless and ideally use MACI (Minimal Anti-Collusion Infrastructure) know-how to scale back collusion dangers.
One commenter supported the framework, noting prediction markets “actually do map effectively to a ‘decentralized government’: in a permissionless system, pores and skin within the recreation is about as shut as you will get to credible accountability.”
Nevertheless, one other raised pointed questions on whether or not Buterin’s assist for prediction markets has benefited Ethereum, noting “the highest 3 prediction markets usually are not constructed on Ethereum, not even on L2 at the moment.“
No offense supposed, I've at all times been interested in one query: You've supported and been optimistic about prediction markets from very early on, and now prediction markets have certainly developed very effectively as you wished. However right here's the difficulty: Because the founding father of Ethereum, what has…
— 陈剑Jason (@jason_chen998) February 2, 2026
Sharp Departure from 2024 Anti-Anonymity Place
The nameless voting advocacy represents an entire reversal of Buterin’s August 2024 place, which known as for the top of “nameless society” in crypto.
He beforehand argued that decentralized methods danger reverting to centralized management with out multidimensional id frameworks, claiming anonymity fails to handle collusion and governance assault challenges.
At the moment, Vinay Gupta, a outstanding blockchain technologist, sharply criticized that earlier stance as “a genuinely horrible thought,” arguing it will undermine crypto’s core worth of self-sovereignty by way of faceted id.
Determining easy methods to deal with the xrisk downside **in a largely nameless society** is the important thing problem on the desk: how can we’ve liberty in a world of basement genetic engineering.
That's the new angle: Liberty ™ meets Xrisk ™.
And Pluralism is a distraction from that work.— Vinay (@leashless) August 21, 2024
Gupta warned that introducing wealthy, intersectional identities would result in “a society characterised by entitlements and exclusions” requiring better surveillance and management.
The philosophical shift seems influenced by failed experiments in crypto-based social platforms.
BitClout raised $100 million from main enterprise companies in 2021, with creator cash permitting customers to put money into celebrities and influencers, however confronted accusations of deceptive the general public and working as a possible pump-and-dump scheme wherein coin values fluctuated purely on shopping for and promoting exercise moderately than underlying enterprise success.
Creator DAO Mannequin Affords Different to Token Governance
Buterin proposed a creator coin system utilizing non-token-based DAOs, impressed by Protocol Guild, wherein members vote anonymously to confess new contributors.
These DAOs would intentionally embrace opinionatedness moderately than aiming for common attraction, with handpicked preliminary membership maximizing alignment round particular content material types or regional focuses.
Token speculators would predict which creators these high-value DAOs settle for, with profitable admissions triggering coin burns funded by DAO proceeds.
“The last word decider of who rises and falls will not be speculators, however high-value content material creators,” Buterin defined, assuming “good creators are additionally good judges of high quality.“
How I’d do creator cash
We've seen about 10 years of individuals attempting to do content material incentivization in crypto, from early-stage platforms like Bihu and Steemit, to BitClout in 2021, to Zora, to tipping options within decentralized social, and extra. Thus far, I feel we’ve…— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) February 1, 2026
The proposal critiques present creator coin platforms like Zora and BitClout, the place high performers are “individuals who have already got very excessive social standing” moderately than rising expertise.
Buterin contrasts this with Substack’s success by way of hands-on curation and income ensures for chosen creators.
Farcaster’s latest struggles present governance challenges in decentralized social platforms.
Merkle Manufactory is returning $180 million raised over 5 years to buyers following Neynar’s acquisition, with co-founder Dan Romero acknowledging that the platform “wants a brand new strategy and management to achieve its full potential” after struggling to maintain progress as a social-first product regardless of roughly 250,000 month-to-month lively customers in December.
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