Vitalik Buterin surprised the crypto community with a series of posts on X, stating that the initial vision of L2s no longer holds. According to him, the scalability of Ethereum's main network (ETH) is progressing rapidly: increase in gas limit, reduction of fees, and future integration of ZK-EVM proofs.
The Call for Specialization: Buterin's Vision
L2s, designed as performance engines, are struggling to keep up: dependence on bridges with multi-signatures, slowness in moving to Stage 2, and incomplete security. Buterin calls for specialization: rollups should explore other paths — AI, privacy, institutional finance, or blockchain gaming.
Jesse Pollak (Base) summarizes: "In the future, L2s can no longer settle for being 'Ethereum at a lower cost'".
Karl Floersch (Optimism): Points out that a one-week withdrawal time from Ethereum is crazy and must be prioritized.
Tension and Alliance: The Stance of L2 Leaders
Buterin's post triggered a flood of responses among key players. Steven Goldfeder, co-founder of Offchain Labs, published a dense thread: for him, scaling remains essential.
The Risk of Escape: Goldfeder warns: if Ethereum becomes "hostile" to L2s, some companies might choose to create their own independent Layer 1s, causing Ethereum to lose its status as the backbone of web 3.
Win-Win Evolution: Jesse Pollak (Base) welcomes a "win-win" evolution: more power for Ethereum, more room for innovation in L2s.
The Next Challenge: Quantum Computing
Beyond technical exchanges, Ethereum's philosophy is being redrawn towards a more modular system. But Buterin already warns of another threat: quantum computing. According to him, this technology could endanger Ethereum's cryptographic keys before 2028. A new battle is looming.
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