Vitalik Buterin: Copycat Layer 2 solutions for Ethereum lack purpose, 2026/04/21 16:54:42

Co-founder of Ethereum, Vitalik Buterin, has deemed the development of Layer 2 (L2) solutions that replicate the Ethereum blockchain and increase its centralization as pointless.

According to Buterin, the primary task is to identify which Layer 2 solutions are being created in vain. Ineffective solutions are those that enhance Ethereum’s throughput, align with its centralization, and stop there. However, such a model will not benefit Ethereum, the programmer lamented while speaking at the Hong Kong Web3 event.

Meaningful L2 creation should begin with questions such as: what functions can the application perform outside the blockchain, what infrastructure is required beyond the main Ethereum network, and how these components can interact with one another, the crypto entrepreneur outlined. Truly necessary L2 solutions should incorporate elements that are absent from the main network, according to Buterin.

He cited the Ethereum Name Service (ENS) and privacy-focused applications as examples. In such systems, certain functions can be executed outside the primary chain.

Buterin believes that the main priority should be data scalability, which necessitates further development of the PeerDAS (Peer Data Availability Sampling) technology that reduces network load. The PeerDAS function was activated in the previous hard fork, Fusaka.

The Ethereum creator also considers it essential to scale computational resources so that various applications can interact with each other and exchange data directly, without intermediaries.

Previously, Buterin proposed simplifying Ethereum staking to allow any users to manage blockchain infrastructure independently. He also expressed opposition to granting artificial intelligence control over cryptocurrency wallets, especially when significant amounts of crypto assets are stored there.