In his assessment after a viral post discussing predictions for the 2026-2030 period, Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, admitted that Bitcoin maximalists have long been rightfully concerned about the biggest threat facing the cryptocurrency ecosystem. The co-founder of Ethereum introduced a new concept that defines much of today’s internet, centering on the distinction between the “open web” and the “sovereign web”: “corposlop”. According to Buterin, this structure is the name of an institutional decay that erodes the liberating aspect of technology. Buterin’s statements triggered an ideological debate in the cryptocurrency world that has been reshaped around sovereignty and user interests.
What is the Concept of Corposlop? Transformation of the Open Web
Buterin defined the concept of “corposlop” as a combination of extreme corporate optimization, polished brand language, and behavioral patterns focused solely on profit maximization. This structure, which appears orderly and legitimate on the surface, actually fuels anger and dopamine-driven content production, intense data collection, and high-priced services through closed ecosystems. According to him, the parts of the internet still labeled as “open” have increasingly turned into a space full of monotonous and empty products.
This approach puts criticisms of centralized platforms’ commodification of user attention and data into a more systematic framework. While Buterin emphasized that homogeneous products shaped by trend imitation were both harmful and unqualified, he argued that the experimental and free spirit of the early periods of the internet had largely disappeared. Corposlop stands out as the conceptual equivalent of this loss.
Bitcoin Maximalists and the Sovereignty Debate
Buterin stated that he now sees more clearly the motivation behind Bitcoin maximalists’ distance from ICOs, altcoin projects and speculative token economies. Stating that their aim is to keep Bitcoin out of corporate interests and short-term profit cycles, Buterin acknowledged that this fear is not unfounded. According to him, maximalists had an early awareness of preserving crypto’s dominant structure.
However, he also made it clear that he disagreed with methods such as progressing under government pressure or consciously limiting technical capacity. Stating that the concept of sovereignty is not limited to private key control today, Buterin also evaluated the protection of digital privacy with cryptography and the defense of the individual’s mental space from corporate manipulation in the same context. His message to users and developers was ideologically clear: Be sovereign, reject corposlop, and truly believe in value.
