The Ethereum ecosystem has been quite lively recently. On-chain data shows that the validator exit queue has been cleared, but new entrants have been waiting in line for over 30 days, indicating a continuous influx of fresh blood into the staking market. 1.66 million ETH are queued up, reflecting the market's high enthusiasm.

At this point, Vitalik Buterin raised a thought-provoking question yesterday on social media—the "Walkaway Test." The core idea is straightforward: if the core development team of Ethereum were to completely step back tomorrow, could the chain continue to operate normally for a hundred years? Could it sustain itself?

Vitalik's view is this: Ethereum must pass this test. The original goal of this chain is to become a trustless, minimally trusted application infrastructure. Whether in finance or governance, Ethereum should be like a tool that "once bought, is forever yours," rather than a service that can be shut down at the provider's whim. Once the maintenance team drops out—whether due to hacking or starting to exploit users—the entire ecosystem could collapse.

In other words, Ethereum's ultimate goal is to be decentralized to its core, allowing anyone to seamlessly take over. This idea is especially interesting in the current context—while the market is betting on staking yields, the chain itself is evolving toward full autonomy. Blob transaction optimization is also underway, with even bigger upgrades planned for 2026. An ecosystem that can attract capital while ensuring decentralization promises is truly competitive.