Leading Developers Challenge Ethereum’s Design, Urging a New Approach

Evan Cheng, the CEO of Mysten Labs and a former tech executive at companies like Apple and Meta, has voiced strong criticism of the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), calling its design “fundamentally broken.” Cheng believes that the only viable solution for the EVM’s “tech debt” is to abandon it entirely and start fresh.

Cheng believes that the only viable solution for the EVM’s “tech debt” is to abandon it entirely and start fresh.

Cheng, who now leads the development of the Sui Network, argues that the blockchain space has been misled by the so-called “Blockchain Trilemma,” which he deems mathematically unsound. He points out that Ethereum’s approach has resulted in centralization, especially as a few staking pools control the majority of the network’s validating power. This centralization, in his view, directly contradicts the idea that Ethereum is the most decentralized blockchain, a concept championed by many of its supporters.

Cheng further explains that while technology can be improved over time, Ethereum’s underlying design is beyond repair. His controversial stance on Ethereum has drawn criticism, but he insists that “shooting it in the head” and starting over may be the only way to fix its issues.

Cheng’s opinions are echoed by other blockchain experts. Kyle Samani, managing partner at Multicoin Capital, pointed out that Ethereum’s fundamental flaw is its product, not its marketing, while Robert Sasu, core developer at MultiversX, agreed that the EVM’s design is inadequate, noting that token standards on the network pose risks to both users and developers.

The growing consensus among these experts is that the EVM, once considered a breakthrough in blockchain technology, has reached its limits. Alternatives such as WASM-based systems and sharding are gaining traction as viable solutions for a more efficient and decentralized future in blockchain development.