When it comes to shaping the future of Ethereum and Web3, few voices carry more weight than Vitalik Buterin’s. While he rarely makes direct endorsements, his subtle nods—through tweets, blog posts, or public appearances—often spark significant market movements and technological shifts. From ENS to SBTs, Plasma to DVT, the projects and concepts Vitalik supports are not just passing trends but potential cornerstones of a decentralized future.
This article explores the key initiatives Vitalik has publicly backed, analyzes their current status, and uncovers the deeper vision behind his choices: a more decentralized, accessible, and user-owned internet.
Vitalik’s Clear Support for ENS
Few projects have benefited more visibly from Vitalik’s influence than Ethereum Name Service (ENS). He has repeatedly called ENS “the most successful non-financial Ethereum application to date,” cementing its importance in the ecosystem.
ENS simplifies blockchain interactions by replacing long, complex wallet addresses like 0x... with human-readable names such as vitalik.eth. This innovation improves usability and security—users no longer risk sending funds to incorrect addresses due to copy-paste errors.
👉 Discover how blockchain identity is evolving with next-gen naming systems
Vitalik doesn’t just talk about ENS—he lives it. His Twitter handle displays vitalik.eth, serving as a constant, organic endorsement. But his support goes beyond symbolism.
In January 2025, he retweeted ENS’s Layer 2 resolution solution, emphasizing that all L2s should run on CCIP resolvers so users can register and update ENS subdomains directly on rollups. The result? ENS surged over 30% within minutes.
Later, in May 2025, he highlighted ENS again while discussing cross-L2 infrastructure, listing it alongside token transfers and smart contract wallets as critical components still challenging to implement on Layer 2. These repeated mentions reinforced ENS’s foundational role in Ethereum’s identity layer.
Since early 2025, ENS price climbed from $8 to nearly $30—an almost 300% increase—demonstrating the tangible impact of Vitalik’s attention.
Other Technologies and Projects Backed by Vitalik
Beyond ENS, Vitalik has influenced several key areas of Web3 development through thoughtful commentary and technical advocacy.
Plasma: A Comeback Story?
Once considered obsolete, Plasma—a scaling framework co-authored by Vitalik and Joseph Poon in 2017—has seen renewed interest. Originally designed to move computation off-chain while relying on Ethereum for finality, Plasma struggled with data availability issues and was largely overtaken by Rollups.
However, Vitalik recently revisited Plasma in the context of validiums, where ZK-proofs verify state transitions without posting full data on-chain. In late 2024, he published articles exploring “exit games” for EVM-based validiums, signaling a potential revival of Plasma-like designs that minimize data load on Ethereum.
This shift reflects a strategic response to the growing debate around data availability (DA)—especially as alternative DA layers like Celestia gain traction. By re-evaluating Plasma, Vitalik reinforces the importance of keeping Ethereum central to scalability solutions.
RAI: The Minimal-Governance Stablecoin
In discussions about stablecoin design, Vitalik praised RAI—a crypto-collateralized, governance-minimized stablecoin that doesn’t track fiat. Unlike DAI or USDC, RAI uses an autonomous feedback mechanism to adjust its price target, reducing reliance on external entities.
He suggested RAI could help address centralization risks in liquid staking derivatives (LSDs), particularly those dominated by single providers like Lido. Though RAI’s market presence remains small (under $2M supply), its philosophy aligns with Vitalik’s long-standing push for anti-fragile, institutionally independent systems.
SIWE, POAP, and SBT: Building Web3 Identity
Vitalik envisions a future where digital identity is self-sovereign. Alongside ENS, he champions three key tools:
- Sign-In with Ethereum (SIWE): Enables secure login to web applications using Ethereum accounts.
- POAP (Proof of Attendance Protocol): Issues NFTs as verifiable records of participation.
- Soulbound Tokens (SBT): Non-transferable tokens representing reputation, credentials, or affiliations.
His seminal paper "Decentralized Society: Finding Web3's Soul" introduced SBTs as the backbone of a trust-rich ecosystem. While widespread adoption is still limited, these concepts form the foundation of Web3-native identity, enabling use cases beyond DeFi—from credentialing to community governance.
DVT: Securing Ethereum Staking
As Ethereum’s staking ecosystem grows, so does the need for decentralization at the validator level. Distributed Validator Technology (DVT) allows multiple parties to jointly operate a single validator, reducing single points of failure.
Vitalik endorsed DVT in late 2024 as a way to scale staking safely. Protocols like Lido, supported by Obol Network and SSV Network, are already implementing DVT to build more resilient staking pools—aligning with Vitalik’s vision of a robust, distributed consensus layer.
Loopring and Taiko: Advancing Rollup Innovation
Vitalik has long supported Rollup-based scaling. He praised Loopring for its high-throughput zkRollup architecture, noting its potential to process up to 160,000 transactions per second when combined with sharding.
More recently, he welcomed Taiko, a Type 1 zkEVM rollup that launched in May 2025. As the first block proposer on Taiko’s mainnet, Vitalik posted:
“I’m excited to see that Taiko is launching as a based rollup. Ethereum benefits from L2s taking a plurality of different approaches.”
By supporting diverse rollup implementations, he encourages innovation while ensuring alignment with Ethereum’s core principles.
Why Does Vitalik “Endorse” These Projects?
It’s not random. Each project reflects a strategic effort to preserve Ethereum’s decentralization and sovereignty amid rising competition.
For example:
- Pushing ENS on L2s with Ethereum-based DA counters alternatives like Celestia.
- Reviving Plasma reduces dependency on L1 data bandwidth.
- Promoting Taiko strengthens Ethereum’s role as the ultimate source of truth and sequencing.
👉 Learn how emerging L2s are reshaping Ethereum's scalability landscape
In essence, Vitalik acts as Ethereum’s de facto chief architect, guiding its evolution toward mass adoption without sacrificing decentralization.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does Vitalik directly invest in the projects he supports?
A: There’s no public evidence that he financially backs most of these projects. His influence stems from technical credibility, not investment stakes.
Q: Is ENS only useful for wallets?
A: No—ENS domains can point to websites (via IPFS), serve as usernames, host metadata, and even represent decentralized organizations.
Q: Are Soulbound Tokens (SBTs) widely used today?
A: Not yet. While conceptually powerful, SBTs remain experimental. Some platforms use them for membership or reputation tracking, but mainstream adoption is still evolving.
Q: What makes DVT important for Ethereum?
A: It prevents centralization in staking by allowing smaller players to pool resources securely without relying on centralized providers.
Q: Can Plasma compete with Rollups now?
A: Not directly—but hybrid models combining Plasma-like efficiency with ZK-proofs may play a niche role in ultra-low-cost applications.
Q: Why does Vitalik care about data availability?
A: Because DA is foundational to security. If rollups store data off-chain on centralized or non-Ethereum systems, they risk undermining Ethereum’s trust model.
Final Thoughts
Vitalik Buterin isn’t a marketer or influencer—he’s a builder with a clear vision. His "endorsements" are less about hype and more about steering Ethereum toward long-term resilience.
Whether it's advancing identity with ENS and SBTs, securing consensus via DVT, or rethinking scalability with Plasma and Taiko, his focus remains consistent: a decentralized web owned by its users.
👉 Explore how you can participate in the next wave of Ethereum innovations
For developers and investors alike, watching what Vitalik engages with offers valuable insight—not because he predicts the future, but because he helps build it.