Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has reversed his 2017 skepticism toward full user self-verification of blockchain state, embracing its feasibility due to advances in ZK-SNARK technology. He argues that cryptographic breakthroughs now allow users to verify blockchain correctness without re-executing all transactions, making full self-validation a viable fallback option. This 'Mountain Man' option provides users with critical resilience against network failures, centralization risks, and censorship, preserving Ethereum’s decentralized ethos.

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