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Vitalik Buterin Says Pressure on Layer-2 Networks to Increase Decentralisation
- Vitalik Buterin has taken to X (formerly Twitter) to put the clamps on Ethereum L2s that remain partially centralised.
- He says that projects that still have their “training wheels” on, need to begin transitioning to become more decentralised.
- Buterin’s posts stated that he will no longer mention L2 protocols by name that lack the infrastructure for decentralisation.
Vitalik Buterin is one of the faces of blockchain innovation. The Canadian programmer co-founded Ethereum over a decade ago and has remained active in the crypto community ever since. With Layer 2 rollups – networks intended to improve the scalability and efficiency of Ethereum’s ecosystem – all the rage, Buterin has maintained a healthy interest in the evolution of projects like Base and Arbitrum.
However, the coding sensation has finally put his foot down, suggesting that the community should begin ramping up the pressure on L2s without adequate decentralisation protocols.
Related: Top US Crypto Exchange Coinbase Adds New Ethereum (ETH) Layer-2 Scaling Protocol to Listing Roadmap
“Training Wheels” to Come Off Ethereum L2s
Back in 2022, when L2 scaling solutions burst onto the scene, Buterin outlined a set of “stages” to characterise the project’s progression. The first stage (confusingly called Stage 0) involves a “full set of training wheels” with broad oversight from the developers.
To be classified as “Stage 1”, the chain must run a validity proof or fraud-proof scheme that can only be overridden based on a multisig of 6-to-8 (so more than eight participants and greater than a 75% threshold).
If this doesn’t make much sense, let’s put it simply – the protocol must be autonomous and have protocols in place to ensure some level of decentralisation.
“Stage 1 or Bust”: Buterin Withdraws Public Support of Centralised Scaling Protocols
The importance of these stages has been rekindled after Vitalik Buterin’s most recent social media post, where he urged existing and up-and-coming L2s to move to stage 1 to ensure their decentralisation.
Buterin emphasised that he will no longer mention L2s by name in his posts, talks or blogs that are still in stage 0. As he put it bluntly:
It doesn’t matter if I invested, or if you’re my friend; stage 1 or bust.
Vitalik Buterin The goal is to heap pressure onto partially decentralised scaling solutions to address potential issues that come with the development team retaining control over their governance and consensus.
Buterin does note that several L2s are planning to hit the “Stage 1” milestone by the end of the year, something he is “excited to see…happen”.
According to the post, the revolution of fully decentralised L2s is coming.
The era of rollups being glorified multisigs is coming to an end. The era of cryptographic trust is upon us.
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Author
Ben Knight
Ben Knight is a writer and editor from Melbourne with a passion for all things music and finance. He enjoys turning complex topics – especially the technical details of cryptocurrency – into digestible bites that anybody can understand. He acquired his Master’s in Writing, Editing and Publishing from RMIT in 2019 and has run his own creative writing business ever since.
