Vitalik Buterin questions whether layer-2 networks should move beyond scaling

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin sparked debate this week when he said layer-2 networks should move away from their original purpose as scaling solutions.

Teams behind major L2 platforms were quick to respond.

In a post Wednesday, Buterin questioned whether L2s should keep functioning as Ethereum’s main scaling tool. He pointed out that many layer-2 projects haven’t fully adopted Ethereum’s security features and still depend on multisig bridges. At the same time, Ethereum’s main network can now handle more transactions through higher gas limits and planned native rollup support.

Layer-2 leaders offer mixed reactions

Leaders at prominent layer-2 projects responded to the statement. Most agreed that rollups need to do more than just offer cheaper transactions, but they disagreed on whether scaling should still be a key priority.

Karl Floersch, who helped start the Optimism Foundation, said on X that he welcomes the challenge of creating a flexible L2 system covering “the full spectrum of decentralization.” He also noted several problems that need fixing – long withdrawal times, missing production-ready Stage 2 proofs, and weak tools for apps that work across different chains.

“Stage 2 isn’t production-ready,” Floersch wrote. Current proofs aren’t secure enough to protect major bridges, he explained. He backed Buterin’s recent idea about adding native Ethereum precompile for rollups to make trustless verification easier to use.

Arbitrum defends continued focus on scaling

Steven Goldfeder from Offchain Labs, which builds Arbitrum, took a stronger position in a detailed X thread. He said that while the rollup model has evolved, scaling still matters for L2s.

Source: Steven Goldfeder

Goldfeder made it clear that Arbitrum wasn’t created as “a service to Ethereum.” The team chose Ethereum because it offers strong security and low-cost settlement, which makes large rollups possible. He pushed back on the idea that an upgraded Ethereum mainnet could match the volume L2 networks currently handle. He pointed to times when Arbitrum and Base each processed over 1,000 transactions per second while Ethereum handled fewer.

Companies might build separate layer-1 blockchains instead of using Ethereum if they think the network opposes rollups, he warned.

Jesse Pollak, who runs Base, wrote on X that improvements to Ethereum’s main layer help “the entire ecosystem.” He agreed that L2s need to offer more than just “Ethereum but cheaper.”

Pollak said Base has focused on bringing in new users and developers while moving toward Stage 2 decentralization. Features like better applications, account abstraction, and privacy tools match the direction Buterin outlined, he added.

Eli Ben-Sasson, head of StarkWare, which creates the Starknet rollup that doesn’t use EVM, gave a short but pointed reply on X: “Say Starknet without saying Starknet.”

His comment hinted that some zero-knowledge L2s already fit the specialized role Buterin described.

The discussion shows Ethereum’s development path is shifting as the main network gains new capabilities and layer-2 platforms figure out their future roles beyond simple scaling.

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