For years, Ethereum’s Layer 2 networks presented themselves as extensions of Ethereum itself. “Arbitrum is Ethereum,” Steven Goldfeder, co-founder of Offchain Labs, wrote on X in March 2024. “Base is Ethereum,” the Coinbase layer 2 team posted in April 2025.
But following recent comments from Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin questioning whether Ethereum still needs a dedicated Layer 2 roadmap, many of those same teams are now pointing out something different: that rollups aren’t Ethereum at all.
Goldfeder, for his part, took a noticeably different tone after Buterin’s post, instead writing on X: “The Arbitrum is not Ethereum. »
“It is a vital part of the ecosystem, a close ally, and has had a symbiotic relationship for half a decade. But it is not Ethereum,” he added in the post.
Buterin’s remarks, which suggest that as Ethereum becomes faster and cheaper, the initial rationale for layer 2s could change, has reignited debate over whether rollups will become less necessary as the base layer improves.
Layer 2 networks were previously integrated into the Ethereum roadmap to scale the network by processing transactions off the main blockchain and bringing them back onto Ethereum, helping to reduce congestion and fees.
The debate is not abstract. Multiple layer 2 networks now secure billions of dollars of user funds, making it one of the largest crypto platforms. Base, backed by Coinbase, holds a total value locked of around $4 billion, while Arbitrum secures more than $2 billion, according to data from DefiLlama.
“Less relevant”
But Layer 2 ecosystem leaders say this moment is poorly understood.
Rather than signaling an existential threat, they argue, Ethereum’s progress forces rollups to clarify their purpose and stand on their own.
Ben Fisch of the Espresso Foundation said Buterin’s comments reflected a logical evolution in how Ethereum’s scaling strategy is defined.
“I think Vitalik’s message is very consistent with this idea now that he says: ‘The primary purpose of layers 2 was to scale Ethereum. Well, now we’re making Ethereum faster, so they become less relevant,” Fisch told CoinDesk in an interview.
Fisch, however, rejected the idea that this would make rollups obsolete.
“I think this is the start of layer 2s flourishing and becoming independent from Ethereum,” he said.
“A layer 2 may use Ethereum as a service, but it is in no way beholden to Ethereum or what Ethereum executives think.”
This perspective is increasingly shared by Layer 2 leaders themselves.
Base, Coinbase’s layer 2 network, has welcomed the improvements to the base layer, with Base head Jesse Pollak calling Ethereum’s scaling “a win for the entire ecosystem” while emphasizing that rollups will need to offer more than lower fees.
“In the future, L2s can’t just be ‘Ethereum but cheaper,’” Pollak said.
Polygon CEO Marc Boiron made a similar argument. Polygon recently said it would shift its efforts to focus primarily on payments, and Boiron said Buterin’s comments were less about abandoning rollups than raising expectations for them.
“Vitalik’s point was not that rollups are a mistake, but that scaling alone is insufficient,” Boiron told CoinDesk. “The real challenge is creating a single block space that works for real-world use cases like payments, where cost, reliability and consistency matter.”
Others have gone further, arguing that rollups should be considered independent platforms rather than extensions of Ethereum itself. Jing Wang, co-founder of the Optimism Foundation and CEO of OP Labs, compared Layer 2 to standalone web services.
“L2s are websites. Each business will have their own, tailored to their needs. Ethereum is an open settlement standard,” Wang told CoinDesk. “It is important for Ethereum to stay true to these base layer values in order to give L2s the flexibility for customization.”
Taken together, the reactions suggest that while Buterin’s post raised questions about the role of Layer 2s, ecosystem leaders see it less as a threat and more as a transition, one that requires rollups to reconcile how they identified themselves with who they are now trying to become.
Read more: “You’re not scaling Ethereum”: Vitalik Buterin issues brutal reality check to biggest crypto networks
