Twin goals of EF:

1. Usage of Ethereum - but usage of a type where users are actually benefiting from Ethereum's underlying properties
2. Resilience and decentralization of Ethereum - viewed holistically, focused on addressing points of weakness anywhere in the stack

And my personal focuses for 2025:

1. Ethereum, particularly:

(i) L1 long-term roadmap (eg. single-slot finality, long-term VM, statelessness, security / resilience / decentralization)
(ii) full-stack security, open source and privacy: ensuring Ethereum is usable in a way that is highly secure, free of centralized intermediaries and privacy-friendly, incl higher up the stack (apps, wallets...)

2. Big-picture d/acc (see https://vitalik.eth.limo/general/2025/01/05/dacc2.html ):

* comms tools, info and social layer, mechanism design eg. governance, pubgoods/open source funding
* cryptography, OS, hardware, physical infra, bio defense

Meanwhile areas that are important but where I am relatively less involved (and others excel):

* @gakonst @ansgar.eth @dankrad and others are taking on practicals of short-term scaling (eg. 10x the L1 gaslimit within 2026)
* p2p, block construction, other research areas
* @hww @tkstanczak are leading many EF matters
* proven app layer categories (eg. defi, payments/savings)

Ethereum protocol R&D. Admirer of emergent order.

cto & general partner @paradigm. ceo /ithaca. working with /rust on /ethereum. building /reth and /foundry. https://gakonst.com

Ethereum R&D || Bulbasaur Research intern

Nethermind Starknet Twinstake Oiler Forta flashbots

what do you mean by comms tools, and info and social layer in the context of d/acc?

Building @kiwi 
Writing @ https://kanfa.macbudkowski.com/

would anon, zk-based (so you can show credentials) comments implemented at a consumer-grade level in a social app also fit your spec?

* better encrypted messaging, docs, etc (and adoption of existing stuff within ethereum)
* prediction markets and similar tech
* newer types of communication tools