2026-01-01 16:22:26

What should we focus on in the next decade of Web3? According to recent insights from Balaji Srinivasan, a former lead technologist at a major platform, the answer is not TPS races or Layer2 stacking, but returning to the fundamentals—user privacy and asset sovereignty.

This judgment is worth deep reflection. The entire crypto world is currently caught up in a frenzy over throughput and speed, but he points out that the real watershed lies in protecting user data. From fully transparent public blockchains to privacy-preserving technologies like confidential computing and verifiable encryption, this is not just a minor upgrade but a fundamental paradigm shift.

It also makes sense. Every transaction and holding on the chain is part of a public ledger, which in finance is actually a paradox—while it safeguards the security of the chain, it sacrifices user privacy. The combination of privacy and programmability is becoming the core issue that the next generation of Web3 infrastructure must address. This shift from openness to confidentiality may well be the key for cryptocurrencies to achieve mainstream adoption.

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BrokenDAO

· 6h ago

Privacy has been talked about for so many years, but when it comes to implementation, it's a different story. When the incentive mechanism is distorted, privacy agreements still end up becoming tools for the powerful.

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DeFi_Dad_Jokes

· 6h ago

Privacy should have been prioritized long ago. Constantly being stripped on the chain, what’s the point of talking about adoption rate?

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MEVHunterNoLoss

· 6h ago

I've said it before, TPS is a death trap, but the real pain point is privacy. Balaji was right this time; now the entire chain is full of glass people, who dares to put real gold and silver. I am optimistic about privacy computing, but can the technical costs be brought down? Mainstream adoption? Let's first get privacy right; right now, it's still a pipe dream. Speaking of which, the real challenge is how to balance transparency and privacy. When private public chains truly take off, all current public chains will have to be reshuffled. But listening to Balaji's words is just for reference; what he says and what can be achieved are two different things.

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RugPullAlarm

· 6h ago

Privacy has been a topic that should have been brought up long ago, but to be honest, these project teams don't really care. I want to see those public chains that claim to be the "future of Web3." The flow of funds within their contracts has long been transparent, with the concentration of large addresses being alarming. Now they turn around to talk about privacy and sovereignty, which is a bit like shooting themselves in the foot. If they truly want to implement privacy computing, someone has to be willing to pay the price. But these retail users don't even read the audit reports, so how could they possibly care about zero-knowledge proofs?

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AirdropHarvester

· 6h ago

I am holding my coins and observing. Privacy has indeed been seriously overlooked. Is it interesting to compete for TPS every day? It's better to focus on protecting user data well.

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¯\_(ツ)_/¯

· 6h ago

I've been saying that the transparent ledger would eventually fail, and now you finally realize? Privacy is the real necessity; otherwise, how would institutions dare to enter? Balaji didn't just talk this time. Wait, can privacy computing really be implemented? Or is it just another dream on a PPT... Agreed, the next wave will definitely be in the privacy track. I've known this for ages, but no one listens. Mainstream adoption = privacy, there's no second way.

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CoffeeOnChain

· 7h ago

Wow, finally someone said it. The TPS arms race really is pointless. Privacy is indeed a neglected pain point. My holdings have been thoroughly scrutinized, how do I explain it to my family, haha. But on the other hand, if privacy is well protected, what happens when regulations come? Isn't that still a dead end?

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