ChainCatcher News, according to market reports, after Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin made comments that "the original vision of Layer 2 as the primary scaling engine is no longer applicable," multiple L2 builders responded in succession, generally agreeing that Rollups need to go beyond the positioning of "cheaper Ethereum," but there is a divergence on whether scaling should still be their core role. Optimism co-founder Karl Floersch welcomed the challenge of building a modular L2 stack that supports "the full spectrum of decentralization," while acknowledging that major obstacles still exist, including long withdrawal periods, the second-phase proofs not yet production-ready, and insufficient cross-chain application tools. He supports Buterin's emphasis on the native Rollup precompiled scheme. Arbitrum developer Offchain Labs co-founder Steven Goldfeder took a more firm stance, arguing that although the Rollup model has evolved, scaling remains the core value of L2. He pointed out that Arbitrum was not built as "a service for Ethereum," but because Ethereum provides a high-security, low-cost settlement layer that makes large-scale Rollups possible. He warned that if Ethereum is seen as hostile to Rollups, institutions might choose to launch independent Layer 1 chains rather than deploy on Ethereum. Base head Jesse Pollak said that scaling on the Ethereum L1 is "a victory for the entire ecosystem," agreeing that L2s cannot just be "cheaper Ethereum." He mentioned that Base is differentiating itself through applications, account abstraction, and privacy features, and is working toward second-phase decentralization. StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson hinted that some ZK-native L2s (such as Starknet) believe they already fit the specialized role positioning described by Buterin. The entire Ethereum ecosystem is facing a roadmap adjustment: the base layer aims to enhance its own capabilities, while L2s are repositioned as specialized environments serving different technical needs.
Vitalik Questions L2 Scaling Vision, Arbitrum, Optimism, and Base Respond
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Summary
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin recently questioned whether Layer 2 remains the core scaling solution, prompting responses from key builders. Optimism co-founder Karl Floersch supports Buterin's view on native Rollup precompiles but highlights current hurdles. Arbitrum's Steven Goldfeder argues scaling is still L2's main value. Base's Jesse Pollak focuses on app development and privacy. StarkWare's Eli Ben-Sasson says ZK-native L2s already align with Buterin's vision.
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