The Reason Behind Vitalik Buterin's Assertion on L2s Not Scaling Ethereum Anymore

Ethereum's co-founder, Vitalik Buterin, believes that the original concept of Layer 2 (L2) scaling within the Ethereum ecosystem is no longer viable due to slow progress and the mainnet's ability to scale directly. He suggested that L2s should now be seen as a range of systems with different degrees of connection to Ethereum, providing unique values beyond generic scaling. He also emphasized that for networks handling Ethereum-issued assets, achieving at least stage 1 should be a fundamental standard. Buterin further stressed the importance of a native rollup precompile that verifies ZK-EVM proofs as part of Ethereum itself, enabling trustless interoperability and composability while allowing L2s flexibility in extending functionality. Despite the inevitability of weaker systems in a permissionless ecosystem, Buterin believes Ethereum's duty is to make the guarantees clear and continue strengthening the base protocol.