By Key Points
- Ethereum 10-Year Uptime Milestone Sparks Legal Debate
- Critics question its scaling and Layer-2 reliability
- Legal uncertainties loom over Ethereum’s future in the US
- Community marks anniversary with NFT torch event
Ethereum is about to hit a massive milestone: 10 years of uninterrupted uptime. Since its launch in 2015, the second-largest blockchain network has never gone offline—not even once.
While that might sound like a brag-worthy achievement in the world of crypto, not everyone is celebrating.
The Ethereum Foundation launched its countdown to the anniversary with a symbolic NFT torch, which was passed daily between prominent figures in the ecosystem. The gesture highlights Ethereum’s resilience and the strength of its community over a decade.
0/ The Ethereum Torch is now lit.
The Torch is an NFT honoring the people and values that have shaped Ethereum’s first decade and will help build its future.
It will be symbolically passed from wallet to wallet in the 10 days leading up to Ethereum’s 10 year anniversary. pic.twitter.com/nEIY8JOIna
— Ethereum (@ethereum) July 20, 2025
Binji Pande, a contributor to the Ethereum Foundation and Optimism (OP), emphasized the importance of this achievement. He pointed out that, unlike tech giants like Facebook and Amazon Web Services (AWS), Ethereum hasn’t suffered any outages, even in the face of market chaos or network upgrades.
“Ethereum never stops,” Pande said. “Not through forks, crashes, bubbles, lawsuits, hacks, wars, and every kind of drama the internet can throw at it.”
ethereum has been online ten years straight with zero pauses and zero maintenance windows.
in that time:
– facebook went down for 14 hours
– aws kinesis froze for 17
– cloudflare dropped 19 datacenters
– alt L1s…well, you know.every centralised giant blinks, they rely on… pic.twitter.com/MaGi326xHI
— binji (@binji_x) July 27, 2025
Co-founder Vitalik Buterin also amplified the message by re-sharing Pande’s post on X (formerly Twitter), adding more visibility to the network’s reliability.
This kind of resilience comes in stark contrast to centralized systems that often suffer outages or require scheduled maintenance—something we’ve seen even among top tech companies. While some celebrate this as proof that Ethereum is battle-tested, others say uptime isn’t everything.
Banger
— Stani.eth (@StaniKulechov) July 27, 2025
Critics Slam Ethereum’s Speed, L2s, and Legal Risks
Not everyone agrees that Ethereum’s record uptime tells the full story.
Marty Party, a well-known blockchain analyst and vocal critic, believes the network’s core limitations are often overlooked. He pointed out that while Ethereum is always online, it still only processes about 13 transactions per second (TPS)—far too low for global scale.
“Stop sugar-coating the facts,” he said. “Layer-2s are not blockchains—they’re centralized sequencers with a 7-day escrow window.”
Ethereum not only went down it was forked. Stop sugar couting the facts. It is slow and unusable at 13 tps. L2s are not blockchains, they are centralized sequencers that just gather psydo “transactions”, zip them up and write them in zips to Ethereum with a 7 day escrow window.…
— MartyParty (@martypartymusic) July 27, 2025
His criticism targets the growing reliance on Layer-2 scaling solutions like Optimism and Arbitrum. These platforms are designed to help Ethereum scale, but according to Marty, they compromise on decentralization and transparency.
His remarks echo larger industry concerns, especially after events like the Crypto Beast dump scam, which raised alarms about project legitimacy and investor safety on L2 chains.
Beyond scalability, regulatory risk is another looming issue. Marty warned that many Ethereum-based tokens and platforms, like Hyperliquid, which is EVM-compatible and bridges to Ethereum, could fall under scrutiny for offering unregistered securities.
“I’d wait for the Market Structure Act and Clarity Act before contributing large amounts to Ethereum L2s,” he cautioned.
Ethereum NTF Torch holders. Source: Ethereum.org – Techtoken
This sentiment echoes ongoing investigations like the Tornado Cash Binance funds case, where funds allegedly linked to illicit activity triggered a fresh wave of regulatory pressure.
Community Celebrates With NFT Torch and Global Involvement
Despite critics, the Ethereum community remains energized by the anniversary.
Since July 20, the Ethereum NFT torch has passed hands daily between major figures. It began with Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin, later moved to Michael Egorov (founder of Curve Finance), and is currently held by Alex Bornyakov, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation.
The torch isn’t just a symbol—it reflects Ethereum’s global, decentralized ethos. It celebrates the many builders, validators, and users who’ve contributed to its 10-year journey.
It’s an honor to carry the torch today related to the 10 year @ethereum anniversary! Thank you for doing an amazing job and the contribution to Ukraine’s relief effort!
Happy anniversary and keep it up guys! pic.twitter.com/1cclQoBsRL
— Alex Bornyakov (@abornyakov) July 27, 2025
The celebration feels especially meaningful in a market filled with drama—from meme coin hype like the Hulk Hogan meme coin to high-profile dumps like the Ripple co-founder’s $140M XRP sell-off.
By comparison, Ethereum’s slow and steady approach stands out as a beacon of consistency, at least for now.
ETH Price Rises Amid Institutional Optimism
Ethereum’s upcoming anniversary isn’t just symbolic—it’s also influencing market sentiment.
As of this writing, ETH is trading at $3,848, up more than 2.3% in the last 24 hours. The uptick comes amid growing interest from institutions and traders betting on long-term Ethereum success.
Several analysts believe Ethereum’s uptime record helps build trust, especially among institutional investors looking to minimize risk. After surviving multiple bear markets, forks, and legal battles, Ethereum’s resilience is seen as a green flag.
Ethereum (ETH) Price Performance. Source: Techtoken
The price rise also coincides with increasing speculation around Ethereum-based ETFs and staking protocols. With some firms pushing for SEC approval, Ethereum’s reputation for being always online could make it a safer bet compared to more experimental chains.
Still, caution is advised. Market cycles are volatile, and regulatory uncertainty remains a threat. Investors are closely watching the U.S. legislative process, hoping for clear rules that allow Ethereum to evolve without legal roadblocks.
Meanwhile, the broader crypto landscape remains unpredictable, as covered in our daily updates on crypto news.
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