Vitalik Defends Ethereum’s 45-Day ETH Staking Withdrawal Rule: “Friction Upon Exit Is Inherent”

COINOTAG reported on September 18 that Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin commented on the roughly 45-day waiting period for ETH staking withdrawal, observing: “Staking means taking on the solemn responsibility of defending the blockchain. Friction upon exit is inherently part of it. If any proportion of soldiers in an army could leave at any time, the army would not hold together.” He cautioned that lowering exit friction without careful design could impair perceived network trust. The statement frames the current staking exit queue as a deliberate protocol mechanism balancing validator uptime, liquidity considerations and overall on-chain security, underscoring that any adjustments to protocol parameters should prioritize systemic resilience over short-term liquidity gains.