Ethereum Copies Cardano's UTXO Model for Proposed Payment System

Ethereum Foundation researcher Toni Wahrstätter has proposed a new native UTXO payment model that could reduce permanent state use by 99.8%, aligning with Ethereum's Lean roadmap.

This proposal is aimed at improving the scalability and efficiency of the Ethereum network, but it hasn't gone unchallenged. Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson accused Ethereum of copying Cardano's decade-old Extended UTXO (EUTXO) model without credit, emphasizing that Cardano's model offers more predictable transaction execution and security for DeFi.

The proposal is still in the research phase with no formal Ethereum Improvement Proposal filed. This technical debate highlights ongoing competition between Ethereum and Cardano's differing blockchain architectures and development philosophies.