In a candid post on X, Vitalik Buterin signaled a major shift in how the Ethereum ecosystem should think about scaling, arguing that the long-standing “rollup-centric” roadmap centered on Layer 2 (L2) networks no longer fully reflects current realities.
Buterin pointed to two key developments driving the need for change: slower-than-expected progress in advancing L2 technologies to higher stages of decentralization and interoperability, and rapid improvements to Ethereum’s base layer (L1), including significantly lower fees and anticipated increases in gas limits through 2026.
“Both of these facts… mean that the original vision of L2s and their role in Ethereum no longer makes sense,” he wrote.
L1 Scaling Changes the Equation
The original Ethereum scaling thesis held that L2 networks—often called “rollups”—would act as extensions of the main chain, providing high throughput while inheriting Ethereum’s security. Buterin described this as creating large amounts of “block space” backed by Ethereum’s guarantees of validity, censorship resistance, and finality.
However, with Ethereum itself scaling more aggressively at the base layer, that premise is weakening. According to Buterin, L1 improvements reduce the urgency for L2s to act as “branded shards” of Ethereum.
At the same time, many L2s have struggled to meet the strict technical and governance requirements needed to fully inherit Ethereum’s trust guarantees. Some projects, he noted, may intentionally remain at lower stages of decentralization due to regulatory or business considerations.
From “Branded Shards” to a Spectrum
Rather than viewing L2s as uniform extensions of Ethereum, Buterin proposed reframing them as a broad spectrum of systems with varying degrees of connection and trust assumptions.
Under this model, some L2s may offer strong security guarantees closely tied to Ethereum, while others may prioritize flexibility, performance, or specialized features—even if that introduces additional trust dependencies.
“But that’s fine,” Buterin wrote, emphasizing that Ethereum’s own scaling progress reduces the need for strict uniformity.
A New Role for L2 Innovation
Instead of focusing primarily on scaling, Buterin encouraged L2 developers to differentiate themselves through unique value propositions. These could include:
- Privacy-focused or non-EVM execution environments
- Application-specific optimizations
- Ultra-high scalability beyond L1’s limits
- New use cases such as identity, social networks, or AI
- Low-latency transaction processing
- Built-in services like oracles or dispute resolution
He also stressed that any L2 handling Ethereum-native assets should at least meet a minimum decentralization threshold, warning that otherwise such systems are effectively independent blockchains connected by bridges.
Native Rollup Precompile Gains Attention
On the protocol side, Buterin highlighted growing support for a “native rollup precompile”—a built-in Ethereum feature that would verify zero-knowledge proofs directly on L1.
Such a mechanism, he argued, could enable secure, trustless interoperability between Ethereum and L2s without relying on external governance bodies. It would also allow systems that extend beyond the Ethereum Virtual Machine to plug into Ethereum’s security model more easily.
The approach could pave the way for tighter integration between networks, including real-time composability across rollups.
Balancing Freedom and Risk
Buterin acknowledged that a more open, diverse L2 ecosystem would inevitably include systems with weaker guarantees or centralized controls. Rather than preventing this, he argued the focus should be on transparency.
“Our job should be to make it clear to users what guarantees they have,” he wrote, while continuing to strengthen Ethereum’s core infrastructure.
A Turning Point for Ethereum
The remarks suggest a turning point for Ethereum’s roadmap, as the network evolves from a strictly rollup-centric scaling model toward a more flexible, multi-layer ecosystem.
As Ethereum’s base layer grows more capable, the role of L2s may shift from scaling infrastructure to innovation platforms—diversifying the network’s capabilities while redefining what it means to build “on Ethereum.”