2026-01-14 11:22:14

Ethereum's positioning has been evolving continuously. Last year, some people redefined Ethereum as a decentralized settlement layer, but this idea was actually discussed as early as 2014. At that time, founders and core developers like Gavin Wood were exploring Ethereum's role as underlying infrastructure. Interestingly, these early concepts have been validated in today's market reality — from DeFi, Layer 2 to Staking ecosystems, Ethereum indeed serves as a settlement and trust foundation. However, this rephrasing might just be a more academic way of describing its core functions all along.

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alpha_leaker

· 6h ago

Ha, to put it simply, it's the same old trick with a new coat. Gavin has already talked about this stuff before, and now it's being hyped up again. It was already concluded in 2014 that these people just love to put academic jackets on old concepts. So the settlement layer and such have actually been in operation for a while; we're just now calling it out. But to be fair, this verification process took ten years. Ethereum's speed is truly remarkable.

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degenwhisperer

· 7h ago

Basically, it's just wearing new shoes to walk the old path. The thing that was thought of in 2014 is only now being "discovered." --- I've long said that the essence of ETH hasn't changed; it's just that the marketing rhetoric has been upgraded again. --- Haha, isn't this just leek chasing hot topics? Influencers packaging a new concept to make another round of profits. --- The definition of the settlement layer should have been established long ago. It's quite ironic that only now is everyone paying attention. --- Really, the old folks, they only admit that the original design was correct when the ecosystem gets running. --- Settlement layer, smart contract platform—no matter how much you talk, it's still the work ETH should be doing. --- Interesting, academic packaging is always the exclusive skill of later generations.

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MidnightGenesis

· 7h ago

On-chain data shows that this logic was already written into the smart contract. I have reviewed the design document from 2014, and it's indeed the case. It's just that only in the past two years has someone unearthed it and repackaged it into academic terminology.

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StablecoinSkeptic

· 7h ago

Basically, it's just rehashing old ideas. The old meme from 2014 is still being brought up now. Decentralized settlement layer? We've been using it that way all along. Now you're just thinking of labeling it? Gavin already made it clear a long time ago. It's really slow for us to react now. Settlement is settlement. Do you really need to package it academically to seem professional? It feels a bit too little, too late. It's just the market reality forcing the definition, so don't go around praising yourself.

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