Ethereum Foundation Director Opposes Vitalik Buterin on L1 Scaling

Key Insights:

• Ethereum leaders clash over how far L1 scaling should go.
• Tomasz Stańczak questions complex stateless designs on L1.
• This comes as Vitalik Buterin calls for a new role for L2s as Ethereum scales.

The Vitalik buterin plans for Ethereum L1 scaling has triggered open debate inside the Ethereum community.

This happened as ETH Foundation director Tomasz Stańczak questioned the push for complex stateless designs.

Notably, Vitalik Buterin has earlier argued for a broader rethink of L2 roles as ETH prepares for major changes.

Tomasz Stańczak Raises Concerns Over L2 Direction And L1 Design

Ethereum L1 scaling sits at the center of Tomasz Stańczak’s disagreement with Vitalik Buterin.

Writing as a core developer, Stańczak questioned why ETH should continue building complex stateless features directly into Layer 1 when Layer 2 networks already exist to handle state scaling.

In his view, pushing advanced stateless designs into L1 goes against Ethereum’s long-standing goal of simplicity.

Stańczak argued that the ecosystem already has a working path for scaling through L2s. He added that attempting to recreate similar outcomes at the base layer risks adding technical weight without clear gains.

He suggested that if ETH continues down this route, the result would not look meaningfully different from what L2s already provide.

This, he implied, weakens the case for heavy L1 redesigns.

His position reflects a broader concern among developers who worry that Ethereum’s base layer could become harder to maintain as new ideas pile on.

The Ethereum Scaling Debate | Source: Tomasz Stanczak

For Stańczak, L2s were designed to absorb this complexity so that L1 can remain stable, predictable, and easy to verify.

From this angle, Ethereum L1 scaling should focus on gradual capacity growth, not deep architectural shifts that blur the line between L1 and L2.

Vitalik Buterin Outlines A New View On Ethereum L1 Scaling And L2 Roles

Vitalik Buterin, however, sees the situation differently. He acknowledged that the original rollup-centric roadmap no longer fits current realities.

According to him, L2 progress toward full decentralization has been slower than expected, while Ethereum L1 itself is scaling faster than many anticipated, with low fees and higher gas limits projected into 2026.

Because of this, Buterin argued that L2s should no longer be treated as “branded shards” of Ethereum that must meet strict standards.

Instead, they should be seen as a wide range of systems with different trust models and purposes.

Some may remain partially controlled for regulatory or business reasons, and that choice should be made clear to users.

In this regard, Ethereum scaling on L1 is no longer about making every move happen on the L2.

Vitalik Buterin thinks that L1s can handle the demand more directly, and L2s should add new features beyond scaling.

Buterin believes L1 can handle more demand directly, while L2s should focus on adding features beyond raw scaling.

These include privacy tools, non-EVM designs, ultra-fast sequencing, or systems built for social and identity use cases rather than finance alone.

He also highlighted the idea of a native rollup precompile, which would allow Ethereum to verify ZK-EVM proofs as part of the protocol.

This could enable stronger links between L1 and L2 without relying on external security councils.

For Buterin, this approach strengthens ETH while leaving room for L2 creativity.

Ethereum Positioned As A Core Infrastructure For Global Activity

Beyond the technical debate, Ethereum’s role as frontline infrastructure continues to grow.

Some recent data released by market observers reveals noticeable stablecoin flow to Ethereum in the last six months, which is much higher compared to other blockchains.

Ethereum Stablecoin Outlook | Source: Joseph Young

This signals that users and institutions still trust Ethereum during volatile periods. As of writing, Ethereum is trading at $1,929.62, down by 7.48% in the past 24 hours

This usage trend supports Vitalik Buterin’s view that Ethereum can scale directly on L1 without losing relevance.

It also explains why debates around Ethereum L1 scaling carry weight beyond developer circles. Decisions made now affect payment rails, decentralized finance, and cross-border value transfer used at scale.

At the same time, Stańczak’s caution shows a desire to protect Ethereum’s reliability as that usage expands. If L1 becomes too complex, the cost may be paid in security and accessibility.

The disagreement, therefore, is less about whether Ethereum should scale and more about how it should do so without losing its core strengths.

The post Ethereum Foundation Director Opposes Vitalik Buterin on L1 Scaling appeared first on The Coin Republic.