Vitalik warns that Ethereum's "L2 initial vision" may be outdated! L1 is accelerating scaling and efficiency, and L2 must introduce breakthrough innovations.

Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin directly states that the original role of Layer 2 (L2) in “scaling Ethereum” is no longer applicable: on one hand, L2’s progress toward full decentralization (stage 2) has fallen far behind expectations; on the other hand, Ethereum itself is rapidly scaling, with extremely low fees and gas limits about to be significantly increased. This prompts him to call on the community to abandon the old mindset of viewing L2 as a “brand shard,” and instead embrace diverse innovations and a stronger L1 foundation.
(Background: Vitalik proposes a new creator token model: using DAO curatorship + prediction markets to replace celebrity-driven traffic)
(Additional context: Vitalik sold $1.4 million worth of ETH in the past 24 hours! Are there 5,000 to be dumped?)

Table of Contents

• Review of Original Vision and Current Challenges
• How L1 Autonomous Scaling Changes the Game
• Future Directions for L2
• Technical Solutions and Interoperability Outlook
• Conclusion: Embracing Diversity and Transparency

Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin posted a long article on X, offering a deep reflection on the positioning of Layer 2 (L2) networks within the Ethereum ecosystem, pointing out that the original vision centered on L2 for expansion has faced challenges, and urging the community to reassess L2’s value and future direction.

There have recently been some discussions on the ongoing role of L2s in the Ethereum ecosystem, especially in the face of two facts:

• L2s’ progress to stage 2 (and, secondarily, on interop) has been far slower and more difficult than originally expected
• L1 itself is scaling,…

— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) February 3, 2026

Review of Original Vision and Current Challenges

Vitalik first reviews Ethereum’s initial expansion goal: true scaling isn’t just about increasing transaction speed, but creating a block space fully backed by Ethereum’s reputation, ensuring transactions are valid, censorship-resistant, and irreversible. He emphasizes that simply bridging via multi-sigs or relying on L1-supported chains, even with high transaction volume, doesn’t count as real expansion.

However, real challenges are gradually emerging. Progress toward stage 2 (full decentralization) for L2s is slow, and interoperability remains difficult; meanwhile, L1 is rapidly scaling, with lower transaction fees and a planned significant increase in gas limit in 2026. This makes the original vision of L2 as a “brand shard” for Ethereum increasingly irrelevant. Some L2 projects may even remain forever at stage 1, which benefits users but diverges from the original rollup roadmap.

How L1 Autonomous Scaling Changes the Game

Vitalik points out that Ethereum’s L1 now has the capability to scale directly, no longer relying on L2 to serve as a “brand shard.” With the mainnet’s gas limit increasing, more transactions can be processed directly on L1 at low cost, weakening the justification for L2’s role as the sole “Ethereum expansion” solution.

He suggests the community should view L2 as a full spectrum: some are truly backed by Ethereum’s reputation and possess unique properties; others are less connected to Ethereum, allowing users to choose based on their needs for security and decentralization.

Future Directions for L2

Vitalik states that if he were to lead an L2 today, he would emphasize core values beyond “scaling,” such as privacy-focused non-EVM virtual machines, optimized efficiency for specific applications, ultra-high scalability, innovative designs outside finance (social, identity, AI), ultra-low latency ordering, or built-in oracle and decentralized dispute resolution features.

For L2s involving ETH or native Ethereum assets, at least stage 1 security standards should be met; otherwise, they should be positioned as independent L1s. Different types of L2 should aim for maximum interoperability with Ethereum to meet diverse user needs.

Technical Solutions and Interoperability Outlook

Vitalik is highly confident in “native rollup precompiles,” which are built-in precompiled functions on Ethereum capable of verifying ZK-EVM proofs, automatically upgrade with the mainnet, and be patched via hard forks if bugs are found. Combining these with enshrined ZK-EVM proofs will simplify full EVM verification.

He recommends precompiles focus on verifying EVM, and if L2s have additional features, they should provide their own provers. Using standardized lookup tables can enable secure, trustless interoperability and enable synchronous composability, greatly enhancing cross-chain application potential.

Conclusion: Embracing Diversity and Transparency

Vitalik admits that in a permissionless ecosystem, some L2s may introduce trust assumptions or insecure designs—an inevitable result of freedom. The Ethereum community’s responsibility is to clearly communicate the security guarantees of each solution and continue strengthening the mainnet foundation. L2s should not merely be “extensions of L1,” but should boldly innovate and create truly unique value.