Ethereum's founder has emphasized the importance of simplifying the protocol to maintain its trustlessness, self-sovereignty, and security. He argues that despite Ethereum's decentralization and advanced cryptographic features, complexity can undermine these core principles. The founder warns against the protocol's tendency to bloat due to frequent additions aimed at preserving backward compatibility, which can complicate the system and make it less secure. To address this, he proposes a "simplification" or "garbage collection" function within Ethereum's development process. This would involve minimizing code lines, reducing dependencies on complex components, and adding core invariants. He suggests approaches like Rosetta-style backwards compatibility and converting complex features into smart contract code to streamline the protocol. The goal is to slow the rate of change and avoid unnecessary complexity, ensuring Ethereum's long-term viability as a decentralized hyperstructure.