Joseph Lubin: Ethereum Expected to Fully Achieve Zero-Knowledge Proofs in 3 to 5 Years, Enabling the Unlimited Capacity Vision of the "World Computer"

June 10th – Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin announced Ethereum is on track to become a fully zk-SNARK-based protocol within 3 to 5 years. Through initiatives like “Lean Ethereum,” the project aims to strengthen Layer 1 capabilities and gradually roll over real-time zk-SNARK technology already deployed on Layer 2s to the mainnet. This move will significantly boost base-layer performance, improve composability between Layer 2s, and lay the groundwork for trustless atomic cross-chain transactions, unified fragmented liquidity, and a more streamlined user experience. Lubin is a strong advocate of a rollup-centric roadmap, arguing Layer 2s serve as an ideal testing ground for cutting-edge technology—even amid criticisms of network fragmentation raised by Vitalik Buterin and other industry voices. As Ethereum transitions from its early decentralization phase to an aggregation-focused evolution, Layer 2s will continue to play a pivotal role in helping Ethereum realize its “world computer” vision by enabling practically unlimited scalability.