From 'Ethereum’s sidekick' to standalone stars: How Vitalik Buterin’s latest pivot is forcing Layer 2s to grow up

Finance Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email From 'Ethereum’s sidekick' to standalone stars: How Vitalik Buterin’s latest pivot is forcing Layer 2s to grow up Leaders across the layer-2 space don't see this moment as an existential threat, but rather that Ethereum’s progress is forcing them to clarify their purpose. By Margaux Nijkerk | Edited by Aoyon Ashraf Feb 4, 2026, 4:48 p.m. Make us preferred on Google What to know : For years, Ethereum’s layer-2 networks have marketed themselves as extensions of Ethereum itself. 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 emphasizing something different: that rollups are not Ethereum at all. Rather than signaling an existential threat, layer-2 leaders argue that Ethereum’s progress is forcing rollups to clarify their purpose and to stand on their own. For years, Ethereum’s layer-2 networks have marketed themselves as extensions of Ethereum itself. “Arbitrum is Ethereum,” Offchain Labs co-founder Steven Goldfeder wrote on X in March 2024 . “Base is Ethereum,” Coinbase’s 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 emphasizing something different: that rollups are not Ethereum at all. STORY CONTINUES BELOW Don't miss another story. Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today . See all newsletters Sign me up By signing up, you will receive emails about CoinDesk products and you agree to our terms & conditions and privacy policy . Goldfeder, for one, struck a noticeably different tone after Buterin’s post, writing on X instead : “Arbitrum is not Ethereum.” “It’s a core part of the ecosystem, a close-knit ally, and has enjoyed a symbiotic relationship for the last half-decade. But it is not Ethereum,” he added in the post. Buterin’s remarks, which suggested that as Ethereum becomes faster and cheaper, the original rationale for layer-2s may be shifting, reignited debate over whether rollups will become less necessary as the base layer improves. Layer-2 networks were previously incorporated into Ethereum’s roadmap to scale the network by processing transactions off the main blockchain and settling them back to Ethereum, helping reduce congestion and fees. The debate is not abstract. Several layer-2 networks now secure billions of dollars in user funds, making them some of the largest platforms in crypto. Coinbase-backed Base holds roughly $4 billion in total value locked, while Arbitrum secures more than $2 billion, according to DefiLlama data. (Base TVL Feb 2026 / DefiLlama) 'Less relevant' But leaders across the layer-2 ecosystem say this moment is being misunderstood. Rather than signaling an existential threat, they argue, Ethereum’s progress is forcing rollups to clarify their purpose and to stand on their own. Ben Fisch of the Espresso Foundation said Buterin’s comments reflect a logical evolution in how Ethereum’s scaling strategy is being framed. “I think that Vitalik's post is very consistent with that idea now that he's saying, ‘The whole purpose of layer-2s in the first place was to scale Ethereum. Well, now we're making Ethereum faster so they're becoming less relevant,” Fisch said to CoinDesk in an interview. Still, Fisch rejected the idea that this makes rollups obsolete. “I think it's the start of layer-2s flourishing and becoming independent from Ethereum,” he said. “A layer-2 may use Ethereum as a service, but it by no means is beholden to Ethereum or what the leaders of Ethereum think.” That perspective is increasingly echoed by layer-2 leaders themselves. Base, Coinbase’s layer-2 network, welcomed improvements at the base layer , with Jesse Pollak, the head of Base, calling Ethereum scaling “a win for the entire ecosystem,” while stressing that rollups will need to offer more than lower fees. “Going forward, L2s can’t just be ‘Ethereum but cheaper,’” Pollak said. Polygon CEO Marc Boiron made a similar argument. Polygon recently said it would pivot its efforts to focus primarily on payments, and Boiron said Buterin’s comments were less about abandoning rollups than about 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 building a unique blockspace that works for real-world use cases like payments, where cost, reliability, and consistency matter.” Others have gone further, arguing that rollups should be understood as independent platforms rather than extensions of Ethereum itself. Jing Wang, co-founder of the Optimism Foundation and CEO of OP Labs, compared layer-2s to standalone web services. “L2s are websites. Every company will have its own, tailored to its needs. Ethereum is an open settlement standard,” Wang said to CoinDesk. “It’s important for Ethereum to stay true to those base layer values to give L2s the flexibility to customize.” Taken together, the reactions suggest that while Buterin’s post has raised questions about the role of layer-2s, leaders across the ecosystem see it less as a threat than as a transition, one that is forcing rollups to reconcile how they’ve branded themselves with what they are now trying to become. Read more: 'You are not scaling Ethereum': Vitalik Buterin issues a blunt reality check to the biggest crypto networks Vitalik Buterin Ethereum News layer 2 Ethereum roadmap Exclusive