Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, highlighted the importance of Ethereum's independence from its core developers during a speech at the Web3 Festival on April 20, 2026. Buterin stated that Ethereum's goal is not to compete with high-frequency trading platforms or to be the fastest blockchain, but to serve as a secure, decentralized, and trustworthy foundational network.He emphasized that for Ethereum to support long-term digital assets, it is leveraging AI to advance formal verification and quantum resistance. Buterin stressed the need for Ethereum to pass the "Walkaway Test," similar to Bitcoin, where the network can autonomously and stably operate as a long-term cornerstone without any core developer involvement.