Vitalik Buterin defends Ethereum’s 6-week staking withdrawal delay as key security feature

19-9-2025 – Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin defended the network’s extended staking withdrawal queue on Wednesday, calling the six-week delay a deliberate security measure rather than a design flaw. The queue has reached historic levels, with 2.48 million ETH ($11.3 billion) currently awaiting withdrawal over a 43-day period.

Writing on X, Buterin compared the withdrawal mechanism to military discipline, arguing that instant exits would compromise network security. “If anyone in the military could suddenly leave at any time, the army would lose cohesion,” he stated, emphasizing that validators’ commitment protects Ethereum’s reliability. EigenLayer founder Sreeram Kannan echoed these sentiments a day earlier, describing the lengthy withdrawal period as a “conservative parameter” that prevents coordinated validator attacks.

Kannan warned that shortening the process to mere days could expose Ethereum to security vulnerabilities, allowing malicious validators to exit...

3.41K

The content on this page is provided by third parties. Unless otherwise stated, OKX is not the author of the cited article(s) and does not claim any copyright in the materials. The content is provided for informational purposes only and does not represent the views of OKX. It is not intended to be an endorsement of any kind and should not be considered investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell digital assets. To the extent generative AI is utilized to provide summaries or other information, such AI generated content may be inaccurate or inconsistent. Please read the linked article for more details and information. OKX is not responsible for content hosted on third party sites. Digital asset holdings, including stablecoins and NFTs, involve a high degree of risk and can fluctuate greatly. You should carefully consider whether trading or holding digital assets is suitable for you in light of your financial condition.