Buterin Warns Against “Mindless” Centralization and Outlines How to Push Back

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has published a lengthy essay titled The Balance of Power, offering a critical examination of the growing threats posed by concentrated power. He focuses on three main forces—big business, big government, and organized crime—and argues that the traditional checks and balances that once kept these forces in line have been eroding throughout the 21st century.

A World Without Checks and Balances According to Buterin, the natural “frictions” that historically slowed the accumulation of power are no longer working. Rapid technological progress, automation, and economies of scale now allow powerful actors to consolidate control at unprecedented speed. He describes the modern era as a “dense jungle,” where the very drivers of progress have also become sources of fear and instability. Buterin also points to a troubling shift in Silicon Valley. He notes that many technology leaders who once held strongly libertarian views are now actively seeking greater influence over government power—a change he sees as deeply concerning.

Mandated Diffusion Instead of Passive Hope At the core of Buterin’s argument is the idea that society can no longer rely on passive forces to prevent excessive centralization. Instead, he calls for what he terms “mandatory diffusion”—the deliberate enforcement of openness and interoperability in systems that would otherwise remain closed. A key mechanism in this approach is “adversarial interoperability.” This involves building tools that can interact with existing platforms without the permission of their creators. Buterin highlights several examples aligned with the ethos of Web3: interfaces that filter content differently from how the host platform intends (such as ad blockers or AI-based filters), and systems that enable value transfer without reliance on centralized financial intermediaries. He also cites Sci-Hub as an example of a tool that promoted fairness in scientific access through forced diffusion. “How can we have a flourishing civilization in the 21st century without extreme concentrations of power?” Buterin asks. “The answer is to mandate more diffusion.”

“Pluralistic Morality” and the Role of Crypto Buterin calls for a synthesis of moral frameworks—one that allows actors to gain influence while preventing them from becoming hegemonic. In this context, he emphasizes the importance of cryptocurrencies and decentralized protocols. As an example, he points to the Ethereum-based liquid staking protocol Lido. Although Lido accounts for roughly 24% of staked ETH, Buterin argues it is less dangerous than a centralized entity of comparable size because of its internal structure. Lido, he explains, is not a single actor but a decentralized DAO with dozens of operators—though he adds that the community must remain vigilant to ensure it does not grow into a majority controller. Overall, Buterin’s essay reads as a warning against complacency. Without active mechanisms to disperse power, he argues, society risks sliding ever deeper into centralization—and open protocols, cryptography, and interoperability may be essential tools in restoring balance.

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