Buterin Pushes For L2 Specialization

Vitalik Buterin turns a page in Ethereum’s history. In a published post, the protocol’s cofounder calls into question the strategic vision of Layer 2, long considered the key to the network’s scalability. For him, the rollup-centric model no longer delivers on its promises. As Ethereum continues its transformation, Buterin calls for a profound rethinking of the role of second-layer solutions. This stance could well redefine the future of the ecosystem.

The limits of the rollup-centric model

In his analysis published on February 3rd, Vitalik Buterin expresses his frustration with the growing gap between the initial vision of Layer 2 and their current implementation, while he considers Ethereum as the Linux of blockchain.

“The vision that Layer 2s would behave like shards of Ethereum hasn’t really worked”, he says. According to him, most second-layer solutions deployed today fail to meet the security and trust requirements necessary to act as direct extensions of Layer 1.

The reference to “Stage 2 rollups”, a high standard of interoperability and verifiability, serves as a benchmark in this critique. However, no current project has reportedly achieved it according to his criteria.

Vitalik Buterin also observes that Ethereum’s technical evolution now allows it to handle some functions previously delegated to L2 itself. He cites several major advances reshaping the balance between the main layer and its extensions :

• Progresses of Layer 1 make native integration of cryptographic proofs possible, reducing the interest in delegating these operations to rollups ;

• The introduction of “native rollup precompiles” would allow Ethereum to efficiently verify proofs without external supervision ;

• The lack of alignment between existing L2s and security standards harms the original vision of a modular architecture, where each L2 is a reliable extension of the Ethereum base.

In this context, Layer 2 gradually lose their original justification as mere transaction offloading channels. The ecosystem seems to be moving away from the “rollup-centric” model that has dominated Ethereum’s strategic thinking so far.

Redefining the utility of Layer 2 : specialization rather than duplication

Rather than seeing Layer 2 as simple extensions of the main layer, Vitalik Buterin now invites to conceive them as autonomous environments with high added value.

“L2s should aim to do something different”, he specifies, suggesting use cases where these solutions would offer a unique proposition, whether extreme performance, advanced privacy, or alternative economic models. The goal is to move out of an Ethereum duplication logic towards differentiating experiments.

He notably mentions cases where Layer 2 are not dedicated solely to asset transfers: “a social rollup or a rollup for use cases that are not financial assets does not need a stage 2”. This new reading shifts the focus from decentralization to functional relevance. In this perspective, Layer 2 become innovation labs, no longer just congestion solutions.

While Vitalik Buterin calls for reinventing the role of Layer 2, the Ethereum ecosystem is initiating a major strategic transition. However, beyond architectural choices, a larger challenge looms : the quantum threat hangs over Ethereum by 2030, reminding that the urgency to innovate surpasses current technical debates.