Vitalik Buterin has firmly rejected claims that Ethereum’s research team is embracing centralization in response to concerns raised by Péter Szilágyi, head of the Ethereum development team. At a recent Foundation research workshop, Buterin emphasized that the discussions were focused on minimizing centralization and highlighted key areas of focus, such as analyzing multiple proposers and maximizing the power of inclusion lists. Efforts are also being made to accelerate the deployment of the Orbit mechanism, which aims to reduce the minimum deposit size for staking. However, Szilágyi has raised concerns about the proposed PeerDAS upgrade, arguing that it could exclude home stakers with simpler computing setups, potentially compromising the network’s decentralized nature. Buterin’s response aims to reassure the community that decentralization remains a core focus of Ethereum’s development efforts. This exchange highlights the ongoing debates within the Ethereum ecosystem about balancing technological advancements with the principle of decentralization. Buterin has previously highlighted Ethereum’s decentralization compared to other networks, noting that Ethereum has a more robust and decentralized network than Bitcoin. The controversy surrounding the PeerDAS upgrade and Szilágyi’s concerns demonstrates the critical discussions within the Ethereum community as it navigates technological progress while striving to maintain its decentralized ethos.