Vitalik: “Ethereum shouldn’t mimic Apple or Google… it must build ‘sanctuary technologies’”

Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, said the crypto-asset industry should not try to emulate Big Tech giants such as Apple and Google, and should instead focus on building “sanctuary technologies.”

According to a report by The Block on the 3rd (local time), Buterin wrote on X that “Ethereum’s role is to create a ‘digital space’ where a wide range of actors can cooperate and interact,” adding that “we should not view crypto-assets simply as a technology industry that delivers efficiency or flashiness.”

He cautioned against approaching crypto-assets through the same corporate model as existing Big Tech, saying, “Don’t try to become Apple or Google.” Instead, he said privacy and autonomy should be treated as core values.

Buterin explained that while Ethereum cannot solve every problem in the world, it can contribute to expanding fundamental freedoms such as financial privacy and digital autonomy. He argued that blockchain’s role should be redefined at a time when concerns are growing over excessive control by governments and corporations, surveillance capitalism, armed conflict, and polarization on social media.

He said he has often heard criticism that “Ethereum isn’t creating enough change in the areas we care about—freedom, privacy, security of digital life, and community self-organization.”

Accordingly, he proposed that Ethereum should define itself as part of an open-source “sanctuary technologies” ecosystem that helps people live, work, communicate, manage assets, and pursue shared goals in ways that are resilient to external pressure.

He added that doing so could achieve “de-totalization,” reducing the likelihood that any particular government, corporation, or dominant actor can fully control digital life. He described it as “preventing winners from achieving total victory, and preventing losers from suffering total defeat.”