As Ethereum deploys Pectra, it faces stiff competition and community criticism. Ethereum Foundation Research co-leads Alex Stokes and Barnabe Monnot map out the chain’s direction.Ethereum is well on its way to some major upgrades, with Pectra and Fusaka introducing a number of performance improvements in the near future. But will it be enough to stay ahead of the competition?Ethereum Foundation Research co-leads Alex Stokes and Barnabe Monnot join the show to discuss:How Pectra and Fusaka will improve Ethereum’s performanceWhat it means that its launch on two testnets failedEthereum’s “north star” — decentralizationWhether Ethereum can retain its top spot in the smart contract spaceAs Ethereum adopts native rollups and data availability, does it create competition with existing L2s and DA providers?The new direction for the Ethereum Foundation leaders and whether Etherealize can bring Wall StreetVisit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.comThank you to our sponsors!BitwiseGuest:Alex Stokes, Co-Lead, Ethereum Foundation ResearchBarnabe Monnot, Co-Lead, Ethereum Foundation ResearchPrevious appearances on Unchained:5 Things to Know About Coinbase’s 2021LinksPrevious coverage on Unchained of:Etherealize advocates for EthereumWhy Ethereum’s New Marketing Arm Is Convinced Wall Street Will Adopt ETHEthereum Foundation contemplates comebackEthereum Is Lagging. Here’s How It Could Finally Shake Off Rival Solana2025 Will Be a Year of Crypto Competition. Can Ethereum Make a Comeback?What Ethena means for EthereumEthena’s L1 Shows Fat Apps Are on the Rise. Can They Beat Fat Protocols?The Chopping Block w/ Guy Young: Lessons from USD0, Ethena’s Bold Vision, and DeFi’s FutureThe Pectra UpgradeEthereum.org: Pectra Testnet Announcement | Ethereum Foundation Blogtim.mirror.xyz: AllCoreDevs Update 17Ethereum.org: EIP-7691: Blob throughput increaseEthereum.org: Holesky and Hoodi Testnet Updates | Ethereum Foundation BlogCoindesk: Hello, Hoodi: Ethereum Welcomes a New Testnet Fusaka on the horizonGithub: EIP-7805 proposed for FusakaNative rollups versus non-native rollupsYoutube: The Future of Ethereum Scaling: Native Rollups ExplainedReddit: Native rollup debatesL1 and L2 debatesVitalik.eth.limo: Reasons to have higher L1 gas limits even in an L2-heavy EthereumVitalik.eth.limo: Scaling Ethereum L1 and L2s in 2025 and beyondEthereum Foundation Leadership changesX: Barnabe Monnot and Alex Stokes announcementX: New EF titlesX: Fixing the Core Dev processEthena’s Converge news John Wang’s tweetCamila Russo’s commentTimestamps:👋 🪝 ⚙️ 🪴 🪲 🔮 🤯 📈 🏁 🤓 🤺 ⚰️ 👬 🤔 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices