Just being faster or running on more powerful hardware doesn’t automatically make a blockchain “better.” Ethereum’s main mission is to be decentralized, permissionless, and neutral — not to chase raw throughput. That’s why Ethereum is designed so validators can run on modest hardware, letting as many people as possible participate in securing the network.
Yes, 32 ETH isn’t pocket change, but compared to corporate giants like Google or major staking services, an individual validator is still “the little guy.”
If Ethereum’s only goal was speed, it could just scale like Solana — which requires enterprise-level servers and a 10G internet connection — but then it would lose decentralization.
BTC Maxis should understand this trade-off well. The block size war that led to the Bitcoin Cash fork was fought over the exact same principle: decentralization over raw speed. Google could build the fastest “blockchain” on Earth — but it would just be a centralized database, subject to censorship and control.
100% Agree. (Just like Eth having "smart contract" capabilities doesn't make it a better store of value than BTC by the way. But, we will, always see "faster, more efficient, better" claims being made from Eth competitors. (Most have given up on the "better for store of value" claims that they tried against BTC. So, that battle has been lost (even by Eth, who shamelessly tried). Will eth succeed as the blockchain for finance? It possible, for some typs of transactions, but I belive we will see many competitors to yet emerge. Its really a constant race to the bottom, in terms of efficiency and cost.
