1️⃣ OVERVIEW - A MAJOR SHIFT IN ETHEREUM VISION
For years Ethereum scaled via a rollup-centric roadmap. L2s were seen as branded shards that add speed while L1 stays secure. That vision has been revised.
Founder Vitalik Buterin said this week: the original idea of L2s and their role no longer makes sense. Two facts force a new path - L2s decentralized far slower than hoped, while the base layer gained power faster than expected.
2️⃣ WHAT THE FOUNDATION SAYS
The Ethereum Foundation released a new ecosystem vision and a 38-page governance mandate for 2026. Core points:
• Ethereum L1 remains the top programmable chain for adoption, developer focus, decentralization, resilience, and reliability • L1 block gas limit rose from 36M to 60M via EIP-7935, with PeerDAS (EIP-7594) adding large blob capacity for rollups • L1 now plans for built-in rollups that are grounded in credible neutrality and censorship resistance • L2Beat will be used to track how open and decentralized each L2 truly is
The Platform team led by Josh Rudolf will act as a bridge between L2 teams and core protocol work.
3️⃣ WHY L1 IS STRONGER NOW
Base layer scaling improved via gas limit growth and new data tools. This gives L1 room to carry more load directly. Future growth will also come from core rollups that are part of the protocol itself, not external firms.
Many current L2s still run with private allocations and opaque control. Critics say they act more like new L1s than true scaling tools. This gap pushed the Foundation to call for more transparency.
4️⃣ NEW ROLE FOR L2
This does not mean L2s will fade. The Foundation says L2s still offer traits that L1 cannot:
• Advanced privacy for users and firms • Ultra-low latency for games, trading, and real-time apps • Custom execution for niche use cases
In short: L1 provides security, finality, and data. L2 provides speed, privacy, and custom logic. The tie between them will be clearer, reducing confusion in market talk.
5️⃣ TAKEAWAY FOR BUILDERS
The redefinition is about honesty. Instead of seeing L2 as a cheap copy of L1, see it as an extension layer that adds what base cannot do cheaply. For builders, this means:
• Build on L1 if you need max security and trust • Build on L2 if you need low fees, privacy, or special VM features • Show clear decentralization via open source, public governance, and L2Beat proof
Ethereum moves from "L2s scale Ethereum" to "L1 and L2 each do what they do best".
