Vitalik Buterin: "L2 in Their Original Form No Longer Make Sense"

In recent days, the crypto community has been stirred by a statement from Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin, who declared the original vision of Layer 2 (L2) solutions outdated. In his detailed post on X, Buterin explained why the "rollup-centric roadmap" laid out in 2020 no longer aligns with Ethereum's reality in 2026. This statement sparked a wave of discussions, justifications, and even disavowals from some projects, highlighting growing contradictions in the ecosystem.

What Did Vitalik Say?

According to Buterin, two key factors have changed the situation: slow progress of L2 toward stage 2 (full decentralization) and successful scaling of the main network (L1). "The original vision of L2 no longer makes sense," he wrote, reminding that L2 were conceived as "branded shards" of Ethereum to provide scalable space guaranteed by the main network's security. However, now L1 itself is scaling: fees are low, and gas limits are planned to be significantly increased in 2026.

"We don't need another EVM network with a bridge to Ethereum. The main network is scaling. The reason for another blockchain should be something new: privacy, low latency, efficiency for a specific need," Buterin reiterated in an update.

He advised L2 projects to seek unique value beyond simple scaling: specialized VMs for privacy, ultra-high performance for niche applications, ultra-low latency, or even built-in oracles. Buterin also supported the idea of a "native rollup precompile", a precompiler in Ethereum for verifying ZK-proofs, which would simplify integration and make L2 more secure without security councils.

Reactions from L2 Projects: "Howling on Twitter" and Disavowals

The statement triggered a barrage of responses. Offchain Labs co-founder (developers of Arbitrum) Steven Goldfeder responded with a detailed thread defending the role of L2.

"Arbitrum is not Ethereum, but it's a symbiotic union," he wrote, emphasizing that L2 are still needed for customization, dominion, and scaling.

Goldfeder noted that even with infinite L1 scaling, institutions like Coinbase or Robinhood prefer their own chains for compliance and branding.

"Scaling remains a value of L2, last weekend Arbitrum and Base exceeded 1000 TPS while Ethereum was at 40 TPS," he added, rejecting the idea that L1 will ever replace the combined scale of dozens of L2.

Other reactions were sharper. User BREAD (associated with Megaeth) accused Arbitrum of changing the narrative: "Is this you? 'L2 is Ethereum'," he quoted old posts, implying that projects are now disavowing Ethereum to save face. In the community on X and Reddit, opinions are voiced that L2 are "parasites" on Ethereum, fragmenting liquidity and adding bridge risks without real decentralization. Some, like Justin Bons, have long criticized L2 as a worse alternative to L1 scaling: "Worse UX, fragmentation, higher overall fees."

Analysts from CoinDesk and Yahoo Finance note that Buterin is not declaring L2 useless but calling for a rethink: from "L1 expansion" to innovations. "L2 must offer unique features, otherwise they risk becoming obsolete,"writes The Defiant.

Impact on the Market and the Future

Buterin's statement coincided with market volatility: prices of L2 tokens like ARB (Arbitrum) and OP (Optimism) fell 5-10% in a day, while ETH rose 2%. Analysts from Lookonchain suggest this could push L2 toward a focus on privacy or app-specific chains but also risks deterring institutions that prefer their own L1.

In the community, jokes abound: "Is Vitalik dumping L2 gems right before the strongest altseason?" But seriously, this is a signal of Ethereum's maturity. If L1 continues to scale (with plans for gas limits), L2 will have to evolve or retreat to niches. As MultiversX developer Robert Sasu noted, "L2 are not appchains, they are centralized and don't solve user problems."

In the end, Buterin emphasizes: Ethereum is a permissionless ecosystem where developer freedom will inevitably lead to diversity, including vulnerable solutions. The question is to inform users about risks and build a strong base layer. Will this be the end of the "L2 hype" or a new beginning, time will tell.