A new study has put forward a bold idea to shake up Ethereum’s block creation process, aiming to spread power more evenly across its network. Despite Ethereum’s shift to Proof of Stake and the adoption of Proposer-Builder Separation (PBS), the research highlights a lingering issue: about 80% of Ethereum blocks are proposed by just two entities, concentrating influence and profits from maximum extractable value (MEV)—like arbitrage and front-running—in few hands.
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The proposed fix flips the script. Instead of specialized builders deciding what transactions make it into blocks, every Ethereum client—like Geth or Nethermind—would use a shared random algorithm to pick transactions and roll-up data from their local mempools. This would mean no single player could predict or manipulate transaction order, effectively cutting off block-level MEV opportunities, according to the study. It could also speed things up, potentially trimming Ethereum’s current 12-second slot time to 6-8 seconds and paving the way for future upgrades like Danksharding.
If we play our cards right, we'll remember today as one of the most consequential turning points in Ethereum's history.
The last few months have been, to put it mildly, tumultuous. While it's clear that many things need to change for Ethereum to win, it's easy to overcorrect and…
— timbeiko.eth (@TimBeiko) March 1, 2025
The research comes at a pivotal moment for Ethereum. The Ethereum Foundation recently named Hsiao-Wei Wang and Tomasz Stanczak as co-executive directors, a move core developer Tim Beiko called “one of the most consequential turning points” for the project in a recent X post. Beiko noted Wang’s seven years of research experience, including work on the beacon chain, and Stanczak’s developer background at Nethermind strike a balance between optimization and preserving Ethereum’s core values. Still, he cautioned that “a lot of work” lies ahead to meet the network’s lofty goals.
