Vitalik Buterin names the only Layer 2 networks he will support in 2025

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has announced a change in his support strategy for Layer 2 (L2) scaling solutions.

From 2025, it will only publicly support L2 projects that have reached at least stage 1 in their development, with a possible short grace period for new and really interesting projects.

Buterin shifts focus to layer 2 projects

“I take this seriously,” he wrote in an X post. “Starting next year, I only plan to publicly mention L2s that are stage 1+, maybe with a short grace period for really new projects interesting”. He also emphasized that personal relationships or financial investments will not influence his decision to endorse a project.

The publication also details the governance requirements for Stage 1, explaining that it requires a 75% consensus of the governing board for major decisions, such as overridden test systems. At least 26% of the board must also be independent from the central development team, a measure designed to increase decentralization and reduce the likelihood of governance failures.

He added that “the era of rollups that multisigs glorify is coming to an end. The era of crypto trust is upon us.”

In October 2020, Vitalik presented a rollup-focused roadmap for Ethereum, emphasizing that scalability would come from Layer 2 solutions rather than improvements to the underlying Layer 1 (L1) layer .

This strategic direction is based on the belief that L2 stacks can offer Ethereum much greater scalability and efficiency than relying solely on L1 blockchain updates.

L2 vs L1 Debate

These comments come amid ongoing debates in the industry about whether L2 solutions compete with L1 networks like Ethereum. Max Resnick, an engineer at the Special Mechanisms Group, believes that L2s are competing for users.

However, Steven Goldfeder, co-founder of Offchain Labs, disagrees and suggests that L2s and L1s work together to improve scalability. “If Ethereum reaches its potential, we will have a lot of demand to completely saturate L1 and multiple L2/L3,” he argued.

Meanwhile, on September 9, Spot On Chain reported that a multi-sign wallet receiving Ethereum from Buterin had sold 760 ETH, valued at $1.835 million. This sale followed previous transfers totaling 3,800 ETH in August.

In response to speculation about the sale, Viatlik clarified that it was related to a biodefense group it funds, sparked by a Cowswap TWAP automated order created in late August. He added: “That was the last one.”

He also recently revealed that he has not sold ETH for personal gain since 2018, noting that his ETH sales usually go to charities, non-profit organizations or other projects.

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