Over the years, Ethereum has indeed become increasingly reliant on large institutions in areas such as node operation, wallet services, and block production to improve user experience and speed — Vitalik recently openly acknowledged this. In simple terms, the original ideal of "no single point of failure and decentralization above all" has been gradually eroded by the convenience of reality.

However, a turning point is coming. In 2026, Ethereum plans a major technological overhaul, focusing on three key directions:

**First, democratization of full nodes.** Running a full node currently requires high-performance hardware and technical expertise, dominated by a few large companies. The goal is to enable ordinary users to easily participate in network validation, truly breaking the monopoly.

**Second, reshaping privacy and payments.** The social attributes of wallets will be restored, and payment transactions will become completely anonymous. User privacy will be reclaimed from centralized service surveillance.

**Third, a self-verification data system.** All critical data can be verified by users themselves, eliminating the need to trust any centralized servers.

The goal of this combination is quite simple — to return to the original dream: a truly decentralized, uncontrollably world computer. What do you think? Can this turn the tide?