Vitalik Buterin Unveils the “Trustless Manifesto” to Defend Ethereum’s Decentralized Future

As blockchain ecosystems grow more complex and dependent on third-party infrastructure, Ethereum’s founding ideals of decentralization face new tests. Services like hosted RPCs, bridges, and relayers have improved scalability and user experience — but at the cost of introducing new points of trust.

In response, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, together with developers Yoav Weiss and Marissa Posner, has published the “Trustless Manifesto”, a declaration urging the crypto community to return to the movement’s original principle: don’t trust, verify.

Ethereum Co-Founder Warns Against Centralization Risks

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, alongside developers Yoav Weiss and Marissa Posner, has released the “Trustless Manifesto” — a call to preserve decentralization and “credible neutrality” in blockchain systems.

(Sources: Ethereum mainnet)

The document, unveiled ahead of the trustless:// conference in Buenos Aires, outlines six requirements and three laws for maintaining trustlessness — a foundational concept ensuring that blockchain systems operate without dependence on intermediaries or centralized gatekeepers.

Why “Trustless” Design Matters

(Sources: X)

As the manifesto opens: “Every system begins with good intentions. A hosted node here, a whitelisted relayer there. Each is harmless on its own — and together they become habit.”

The message is clear: small compromises in decentralization can accumulate, turning open networks into controlled ecosystems. Buterin and his co-authors warn that gateways become platforms, and platforms become landlords — entities that decide who can participate.

Their proposed defense is trustless design, where correctness and fairness rely solely on math and consensus, not human goodwill.

The Core Principles of the Trustless Manifesto

The manifesto emphasizes that trustlessness is not an add-on feature, but the essence of blockchain credibility: “Without it, everything else — efficiency, UX, scalability — is decoration on a fragile core.”

To maintain Ethereum’s neutrality, the authors call for:

• Self-sovereignty — users must retain control of their assets and data.
• Verifiability — all operations should be transparent and provable on-chain.
• Eliminating indispensable intermediaries — reducing reliance on hosted RPC services or whitelisted relayers that introduce central points of failure.

Community and On-Chain Commitment

The manifesto includes an on-chain pledge, allowing developers, validators, and community members to publicly endorse trustless design principles. Within hours of release, the pledge attracted attention across the Ethereum community, with many viewing it as a necessary reminder amid the rise of convenience-driven, semi-centralized scaling solutions.

A Call to Defend Ethereum’s Core Values

Buterin’s message echoes a broader concern: as Ethereum scales through Layer 2 solutions and external services, maintaining decentralization must remain non-negotiable.

“Trustlessness,” the authors conclude, “is how credible neutrality is achieved. Without it, the system becomes one that depends on intermediaries.”

Conclusion

The Trustless Manifesto reinforces Ethereum’s founding philosophy — an open, neutral, and censorship-resistant network built on verifiable truth rather than institutional trust. As the ecosystem expands, the challenge will be to scale without sacrificing the very property that made Ethereum revolutionary: trustlessness.