Key Takeaways
- Vitalik Buterin says Ethereum’s original rollup-centric L2 vision no longer makes sense in 2026.
- Faster Layer 1 scaling and stalled L2 decentralization have reduced L2s’ role as Ethereum’s primary scaling solution.
- Buterin urges L2s to innovate with specialized use cases or risk becoming obsolete, sparking sharp debate across the crypto community.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has ignited a fresh debate after declaring that Ethereum’s original Layer 2 (L2) roadmap is effectively outdated.
In a detailed thread on X, Buterin argued that the “rollup-centric roadmap” first outlined in 2020 no longer fits Ethereum’s current trajectory.
Back then, L2s were envisioned as “branded shards” of Ethereum—extensions designed to scale the network while inheriting its security and decentralization.
In 2026, he says, that framing “no longer makes sense.”
What Changed?
According to Buterin, two major developments have reshaped Ethereum’s scaling landscape.
First, progress toward fully decentralized and interoperable L2s has been “far slower and more difficult than originally expected.”
Some L2s, he noted, have deliberately chosen not to advance beyond early decentralization stages due to regulatory or commercial considerations.
Second, Ethereum’s Layer 1 (L1) is scaling more effectively on its own.
With transaction fees currently low and major gas limit increases expected in 2026, reliance on L2s for basic scalability has diminished.
Buterin stressed that L2s were meant to provide scalable block space backed by Ethereum’s full security guarantees.
However, high-throughput chains connected through simple multisig bridges, he argued, do not truly “scale Ethereum” in a meaningful way.
From “Branded Extensions” to a Spectrum of Networks
Rather than treating L2s as official extensions with special social status, Buterin proposed a new framework.
He aims to view L2s as part of a “full spectrum” of networks with varying degrees of trust, security, and integration with Ethereum.
Under this model, users would choose networks based on their needs, while L2 teams would be expected to clearly communicate what guarantees—or trade-offs—their systems provide.
To remain relevant, Buterin urged L2s to move beyond simple scaling and develop distinct value propositions, such as:
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Privacy-focused or application-specific virtual machines.
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Extreme throughput or ultra-low latency designs.
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Non-financial or specialized use cases.
- Built-in oracles or dispute-resolution mechanisms.
He also advocated for Ethereum to introduce a native rollup precompile, allowing trustless verification of ZK-EVM proofs.
Such a change could improve interoperability and composability while upgrading automatically alongside Ethereum’s core protocol.
Key Reactions From Prominent Ethereum L2s and Rivals
Buterin’s remarks sparked immediate debate across the ecosystem.
Declan Fox of Linea Build, a ConsenSys-affiliated L2, expressed strong alignment, calling Linea “the first battle-tested Native Rollup technology stack” and backing Buterin’s proposed EIP direction.
He highlighted Linea’s adherence to mainline EVM specifications and its upcoming Stage 1 zkEVM rollout.
Others were far more critical. Max Resnick, lead economist at Anza in the Solana ecosystem, called Ethereum’s L2 roadmap a “catastrophic failure,” arguing it ceded revenue to corporate L2s while rivals like Solana moved faster and cheaper.
He accused Buterin of fearing competition on latency due to Ethereum’s consensus limitations, urging 6-second slots but predicting Ethereum would lose head-to-head.
David Choi, founder of usd.ai and a key Ethereum stakeholder, praised Buterin’s vision as aligning with “hard capital markets” under neutrality and adversarial conditions.
Choi views the L2 critique as part of Ethereum’s shift toward invariant risk machinery rather than user-growth metrics.
He interpreted it as the network enforcing settlement hardness, with DeFi yield proving its neutrality.
Much of the backlash centers on L2 decentralization delays and revenue models.
Some view Buterin’s comments as an admission of failure, while others see them as a necessary push toward a more honest and innovative Ethereum ecosystem.
Prashant Jha is a seasoned crypto journalist based in Delhi, India, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science Engineering. Passionate about the evolving world of blockchain and cryptocurrencies, he has been a dedicated voice in the industry since 2018. Prashant’s expertise lies in regulatory reporting, where he unravels complex legal and financial developments with clarity and precision. Before joining CCN in 2024, he honed his craft at Cointelegraph, establishing himself as a trusted name in crypto journalism.
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