Unchained

Shapella in the Rearview: After Major Upgrade, What’s Next for Ethereum? - Ep. 480

Apr 14, 2023

Tim Beiko, head of Ethereum protocol developer calls, shares his insights on the recent Shapella upgrade, marking a significant milestone in Ethereum's shift to proof-of-stake. He discusses the implications of validator withdrawals and the challenges faced during this transition. Beiko highlights the future roadmap for Ethereum, including the pivotal EIP-4844 aimed at reducing Layer 2 costs, and explains the concept of proposer-builder separation and its intended benefits. The conversation is a treasure trove for anyone interested in the evolving landscape of Ethereum.

42:36

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Episode guests

Tim Beiko

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Episode notes

Intro

2min

Ethereum's Transition: The Shanghai and Capella Upgrades

9min

Post-Upgrade Insights: Ethereum Withdrawals and Staking Dynamics

3min

Ethereum's Shapela Upgrade and Future Roadmap

12min

Understanding Ethereum Contracts and FTX's Future

5min

Cryptocurrency Developments and Innovations

11min

This week’s major Ethereum upgrade, Shapella (it was really two upgrades, Shanghai and Capella, in one), brings the network’s multi-year journey to proof-of-stake to a close. With validator withdrawals now live, the Ethereum Foundation’s Tim Beiko explains Shapella’s significance, why EIP-4844 is the next big thing, and what else is on Ethereum’s roadmap.

Show highlights:

how Ethereum transitioned from a proof-of-work consensus mechanism to proof-of-stake
what the concerns about enabling withdrawals among developers were
why the upgrade has “de-risked” staking on Ethereum
whether there are going to be more solo stakers now that The Merge is fully completed
what’s next in the roadmap of Ethereum and how EIP-4844 will decrease the cost of posting data for Layer 2s
what “proposer-builder separation” is and what it intends to solve