Ethereum Layer 2 Builders Stand Firm After Vitalik’s Roadmap Reversal

Founders of major rollups defend their work as Ethereum pivots toward direct layer-1 scaling, stressing new differentiators beyond throughput.

Rich by Coin

2026-02-05

A surprise shift in Ethereum’s scaling narrative emerged as Vitalik Buterin signaled that the once-dominant belief in Layer 2s as the fastest path to mass adoption no longer makes sense. Founders of leading Layer 2 projects quickly flocked to social media to defend their approaches, emphasizing that scaling is not the sole value they aim to provide and highlighting ongoing differentiation beyond mere transaction throughput. The episode does not necessarily overturn Ethereum’s overarching trajectory, but it injects doubt into the traditional Layer 2-centric path.

Buterin attributed the reversal to two factors: slower-than-expected progress from Layer 2 networks and tangible advances on Ethereum’s own Layer 1, which he said now scales directly. This stance prompted a torrent of responses from developers who have built around the Layer 2 paradigm, with some urging continuity while acknowledging the need for new value propositions such as privacy and application-specific features.

Industry leaders weighed in on potential paths forward. Optimism founder Karl Floersch signaled resilience with a bold “Challenge accepted” while other builders stressed ongoing differentiation—ranging from better privacy to native account abstraction and other native capabilities. Alex Gluchowski of zkSync argued that Layer 2 can still serve as a hub for privacy and specialized functions, potentially becoming the “Bank Stack of Ethereum.” Arbitrum co-founder Steven Goldfeder also noted that Layer 2s remain essential, arguing that rollups have evolved from pure scaling tools into vehicles for customization and governance.

Industry observers note that the historical role of rollups was primarily scaling, yet today they also offer bespoke features that Layer 1 alone cannot easily provide. The existence of Layer 2 ecosystems is framed as a strength that could help Ethereum win institutional adoption, even as builders adapt to a shifted roadmap and pivot toward innovations that differentiate their products from Ethereum’s on-chain base layer.