Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin tweeted that the blockchain community should engage more with mainstream cryptography and cybersecurity communities. In a widely discussed tweet among cryptocurrency enthusiasts, Buterin encouraged the blockchain space to break out of its insular bubble.
He added that increased participation in events not focused on blockchain is key to broader acceptance and collaboration. His comments came as a response to a discussion thread on what events the PrivacyScaling team should attend in 2025.
Buterin favored going to mainstream cryptography and cybersecurity conferences and building bridges with other, non-blockchain decentralization projects such as Mastodon, a federated social media platform, and Secure Scuttlebutt, a peer-to-peer database protocol. He emphasized that labeling common cryptographic and decentralization initiatives as “non-crypto” is a major oversight of the blockchain community.
IMO the fact that mainstream cryptography and cybersecurity and non-blockchain decentralization are considered “non crypto” is itself a failure (imo largely from the “crypto” side), and it’s worth taking steps to address this😊
— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) January 6, 2025
Crypto’s Isolation Hinders Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration and Growth
The comments by the Ethereum co-founder point to one of the crypto world’s major ills: it tends to be insular. By mostly focusing on blockchain-specific events, the community is losing the potential for cross-disciplinary collaboration and knowledge sharing.
“Classifying common cryptography and decentralization initiatives as ‘non-crypto’ is a huge failure, ” Buterin tweeted, adding that this failure largely flows from the crypto industry’s reluctance to engage with broader technological communities.
It came in the backdrop of a similar call made by Buterin from another outspoken voice on X, Devansh Mehta. On his part, Devansh Mehta did propose programs akin to the Ethereum Foundation Scholars Program, which are targeted at wooing blockchain experts to be part of those non-crypto events.
Long advocated that the EF scholars program led by @_madison_adams should begin supporting our attendance at non crypto events, not just the ones where we circle jerk among ourselves
— Devansh Mehta (@TheDevanshMehta) January 6, 2025
He said this would not only see the crypto world connect with them but also one way through which blockchain knowledge and more viewpoints on Global Data Protection, Digital Sovereignty, and Decentralization could be thrown into the basket.
That does require him to break out of the “crypto bubble,” which again isn’t easy. There are mutual misconceptions. Mainstream technologists frequently consider blockchain projects as highly speculative or focused solely on money issues. In turn, many in crypto take the view that outsiders do not add value to this newfangled technology.
Collaboration Over Isolation: Unlocking Blockchain’s Full Potential
Shaw co-founded a16z and mentioned these challenges in the Delphi Digital podcast. He argued that decentralized funding and market intelligence can revolutionize industries, but the crypto industry needs to deliver on this instead of emotional pitches. Shaw’s vision also resonates with Buterin’s call for more interaction with domains other than crypto.
Despite the challenges, the benefits of collaboration far outweigh the drawbacks. Interaction with mainstream cryptography and cybersecurity communities could bring a lot of valuable insight to the crypto industry for it to try and solve current global challenges such as data privacy and secure digital identities. In turn, this could take some of the mystery out of blockchain for those in other fields who are skeptical, building trust and understanding.
The crypto industry opens the doors for cross-disciplinary innovation to surge and present itself as the pivot on which a solution for some real-world problems will happen. Buterin’s call for action may well be the first step to tearing down those silos and making it one interconnected tech ecosystem with impacts across the board.
The blockchain industry’s integration into broader technological communities will be decisive in determining its long-term relevance and success as it matures. Buterin’s appeal underlines that collaboration, not isolation, is the key to unlocking the full potential of blockchain technology. Whether the crypto community will rise to the challenge remains to be seen.
This news is republished from another source. You can check the original article here
