Buterin Scraps ‘Rollup-Centric’ Roadmap; L2s on Notice

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin declared the network’s six-year-old "rollup-centric" scaling strategy obsolete on Tuesday, stating the model "no longer makes sense" as Layer-2 (L2) decentralization stalls. The pivot sent Ethereum (ETH) tumbling 8% to $2,238, while major L2 governance tokens wavered.

The "Multisig Bridge" Reality Check

Writing in a post on X, Buterin dismantled the assumption that rollups would serve as the primary scaling vector for the network. His critique centered on the failure of leading L2s to move beyond "Stage 0" training wheels, centralized controls that allow developers to override protocol rules.

"If you create a 10000 TPS EVM where its connection to L1 is mediated by a multisig bridge, then you are not scaling Ethereum," Buterin wrote.

The comments mark a reversal of the 2020 roadmap that positioned optimistic and ZK-rollups as the chain’s exclusive execution environments. Instead, Buterin highlighted that Ethereum’s base layer is scaling faster than anticipated, with gas limits scheduled for a "significant" increase later in 2026 to accommodate data blobs directly.

Market Reaction: L1 vs. L2

Markets reacted sharply to the potential obsolescence of L2 tokens as "ETH betas." Ethereum dropped to $2,238 (-7.9%) as traders reassessed the value accrual between the base layer and execution chains. Governance tokens for Arbitrum (ARB) and Optimism (OP) remained suppressed at $0.14 and $0.23 respectively, down over 90% from their 2024 highs.

The New "Spectrum" Mandate

Buterin proposed a revised framework where L2s function as a "spectrum" rather than a monolith. In this model, chains must offer distinct utility, such as privacy (using zero-knowledge proofs) or ultra-low latency for gaming, rather than merely selling cheaper block space. Networks that fail to differentiate or remove their multisig "training wheels" risk becoming redundant as L1 capacity expands.