In a Twitter spaces conversation, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin shared his thoughts on the advent of Bitcoin Ordinals, emphasizing their significance in heralding the “organic return of builder culture” to the Bitcoin network. Joined by Bitcoin proponents Eric Wall and Udi Wertheimer, Buterin praised the Ordinals and the BRC-20 token standard, considering them as a rejection of the “stagnant” politics prevailing in the Bitcoin ecosystem.
During the extensive two-hour discussion, the topic of scalability took center stage. Wall expressed concerns about Bitcoin’s Lightning Network, stating that it fails frequently when processing even medium-sized payments and questioning its ability to scale for future users. In response, Buterin suggested a dual approach, advocating for the implementation of diverse layer-2 solutions while exploring ways to enhance the efficiency of the Bitcoin base layer.
Buterin also highlighted the potential of rollups and ZK-snark-based scaling solutions, suggesting that they could contribute to scalability and efficiency. Wertheimer further expanded on this, proposing that if rollups were adopted for Bitcoin, it could introduce an execution environment capable of supporting smart contracts.
Wall and Wertheimer, instrumental figures behind the Ordinals project Taproot Wizards, have been vocal proponents of enhancing Bitcoin’s functionality. However, they face criticism from Bitcoin purists who argue that features like NFTs and smart contracts dilute Bitcoin’s core purpose as a peer-to-peer cash network. Jan3 CEO Samson Mow, among the critics, believes that Ordinals waste block space that should be dedicated to Bitcoin payments.
Addressing these concerns, Wall suggested that Bitcoin could serve as a “proof system” for zero-knowledge proofs, which would alleviate network congestion. He emphasized the desire among Bitcoiners to explore DeFi-related opportunities while utilizing the Bitcoin base layer as an arbiter for computation, rather than executing it on-chain.
The conversation stirred fresh controversy within the Bitcoin community, with Wertheimer criticizing Samson Mow and Blockstream CEO Adam Beck for their dismissive stance toward the discussion with Buterin.
