Vitalik Buterin Urges New Approach as Ethereum Layer 2 Usage Drops by 50%

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin is calling for Layer 2 (L2) networks to fundamentally rethink their strategy following a significant drop in user activity. Data shows monthly L2 addresses fell from 58.4 million to about 30 million between mid-2025 and February 2026, while Ethereum Layer 1 (L1) active addresses increased by 41.4% to 15 million, driven by record-low transaction fees and expected future gas limit increases.

Buterin argues that the original vision of L2s as essential scaling solutions is outdated because L1 is now highly capable. He suggests L2s should focus on value-adds beyond scaling, such as privacy-focused virtual machines, application-specific features, or entirely new designs for non-financial platforms like identity systems. He stressed that L2s handling Ethereum assets must maintain at least Stage 1 security, advocating for a native rollup precompile on L1 to verify ZK-EVM proofs securely.

The market has reacted skeptically, with top L2 tokens declining, as users increasingly prioritize the superior security and simplicity of the main chain when costs are low. L2 teams must now offer compelling, unique reasons for adoption beyond mere cost savings to secure their role in the evolving Ethereum ecosystem.

(Source：BeInCrypto)