Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, has offered a critical assessment of the network’s long-standing rollup-centric roadmap, noting a significant disparity between the expected pace of Layer 2 (L2) decentralization and the actual progress made. In recent public statements, Buterin argued that L2 solutions have decentralized ‘far slower’ than anticipated, especially when contrasted with the rapid advancements seen on the Ethereum base layer (L1).
The original rollup-centric roadmap, established in the post-Merge era, envisioned L2 ecosystems rapidly progressing past initial centralization points, such as single-entity sequencers and reliance on multi-signature security arrangements, toward fully permissionless and robust systems. However, Buterin highlights that while many L2s boast significant transaction volume and lower fees, core governance and sequencing components often remain centralized for reasons of operational efficiency and initial rapid deployment. This inherent centralization risk compromises censorship resistance.
Conversely, the Ethereum L1 has largely exceeded expectations in security and resilience. Following the success of The Merge, the base layer has significantly improved validator client diversity, solidified proposer/builder separation (PBS) efforts, and maintained high levels of economic security. Buterin notes that this success creates an imbalance: a strong, decentralized base layer supporting execution environments (L2s) whose core infrastructure remains technologically centralized.
This divergence necessitates a strategic reevaluation. Buterin suggests that the primary focus must now decisively shift toward accelerating L2 decentralization. This includes maturing decentralized sequencers, implementing strong fraud and validity proof systems that reduce reliance on human-controlled security councils, and potentially exploring ways to embed more L2 support directly into L1 to enforce decentralization compliance without compromising the base layer’s minimalist design philosophy. The underlying realization is that for the Ethereum Endgame vision to succeed, the security guarantees and trust assumptions of L2s must quickly catch up to the foundational strength of L1.
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