This transformation achieves something economists thought impossible:  trust with near zero marginal cost. Adding another user to Ethereum's trust  network costs nothing. Processing the billionth transaction costs the same  as the first. Securing a trillion dollars requires the same infrastructure as  securing a million. Conventional trust systems scale linearly: more activity  means more judges, auditors, compliance officers, and police. Ethereum, by  contrast, scales through a self-reinforcing network effect: each additional  participant adds economic value, that value funds stronger security, and  stronger security attracts the next wave of participants.