$ETH Ethereum Layer-2 Roadmap No Longer Makes Sense, Says Buterin
$ETH co-founder #VitalikButerin declared that the original rollup-centric roadmap positioning #layer-2 networks as Ethereum's primary scaling solution no longer makes sense. His statement, posted on X Tuesday, marks a reversal of Buterin's and the Ethereum Foundation's plan to scale the blockchain ecosystem through branded shards settling on the base layer.
Buterin cited two developments challenging the original vision. Progress among layer-2 networks toward later stages of decentralization has been slower and more difficult than expected. Simultaneously, #Ethereum itself is now scaling directly on layer-1, with fees remaining low and gas limits expected to increase significantly in 2026. Both factors mean the original vision of L2s and their role in Ethereum requires a new path.
The rollup-centric roadmap envisioned layer-2s as secure extensions of $ETH handling most transactions while inheriting Ethereum's #security guarantees, often described as branded shards of the network. Buterin argued that L2s are not able or willing to satisfy the properties a true branded shard would require. He previously theorized a framework measuring rollup #decentralization progressing through stages, from Stage 0 with centralized trust councils to Stage 2 representing full trustlessness.
Despite dozens of L2s launching, very few have progressed to Stage 1, a point Buterin has criticized previously. Base, the L2 incubated by Coinbase beginning in 2023, advanced to Stage 1 last year by decentralizing security council governance and launching permissionless fault proofs. Technical challenges and regulatory concerns have delayed broader decentralization, with some projects stating they may never advance beyond Stage 1 due to customers' regulatory needs requiring ultimate control.
#EthereumLayer2Rethink? #WhaleDeRiskETH
