Joseph Lubin Says Ethereum Could Become a Fully Zero-Knowledge Protocol Within 3 to 5 Years

Consensys CEO Joseph Lubin said Ethereum is expected to evolve into a protocol fully based on zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs within the next three to five years, aiming to optimize the main chain and improve composability between Ethereum and Layer 2 networks. According to Odaily, Lubin said he supports a rollup-centric roadmap and believes Ethereum’s base layer can be upgraded by strengthening Layer 1, introducing the “Lean Ethereum” initiative, and expanding the use of ZK proofs.

Lubin said Lean Ethereum aims to maintain a highly decentralized mainnet while enabling more than 10,000 transactions per second and supporting privacy features and quantum-resistant solutions.

On Layer 2, Lubin said ZK technology has already enabled real-time proofs on some L2 networks, and that similar capabilities are planned for Layer 1, with a longer-term transition toward a fully ZK-based protocol that supports multiple provers. He cited Consensys-developed Linea and projects such as Gnosis as using ZK proofs to synchronize transactions across networks, which he said could remove the need for bridges and unify fragmented liquidity.

Lubin said the early “divergence phase” of the rollup roadmap is intended to provide room for experimentation in Layer 2 technology. He added that while liquidity may be dispersed in the short term, the approach is meant to support future scaling and technical iteration, and he said some L2 technologies may become systemically important components.

Lubin also addressed recent Ethereum Foundation personnel changes and rumors of a “second foundation,” saying there will not be a second foundation. He said the Ethereum Foundation will continue focusing on core protocol development, usability and scaling, and institutional cooperation, while supporting at least three independent teams spun out from the foundation to focus on protocol work, user experience, and institutional expansion.