Author：Digital Coin God

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin shared another lengthy post on X, arguing that the standard way of building Layer-2 networks (creating more EVM chains connected via simple bridges) is becoming outdated. He says the space needs real new ideas and a tighter connection to Ethereum itself, not just more look-alikes.

Buterin said simply making another basic copy of Ethereum and linking it with a bridge is no longer a good strategy. He compared it to endlessly copying old DeFi projects, saying that doing so is easy but holds back real progress.

Ethereum itself is getting faster and cheaper due to recent improvements. As such, thanks to these network upgrades, the main Ethereum layer can now handle more activity at a lower cost. This means there is less need for Layer-2 networks that only exist to offer cheaper transactions.

This has also diminished the main reason (low fees) that pushed people to use Layer-2 networks in the first place. As a result, activity is now returning to the main Ethereum blockchain in some areas.

According to TokenTerminal, monthly active users on Layer-2 networks fell from 58.4 million in mid-2025 to 30 million in February 2026. In the same timeframe, active users on the main Ethereum blockchain doubled, rising from 7 million to 15 million.

L2s Need Something New

Buterin says new Layer-2 networks need to bring something truly new to the table. Instead of just being cheaper copies of Ethereum, they should offer unique features like strong user privacy, custom-built environments for specific apps, extremely fast transaction speeds, or specialized uses for businesses and institutions that need verifiable records.

In the X post, he also pointed out that projects must use Ethereum’s technology and not just leverage its name for marketing. 

He described two ways specialized app chains could function:

With this new post, Buterin practically doubled down on what he said almost two days ago, where his comments that L2s must become more than being cheaper copies of Ethereum sparked a lot of discussion in the crypto community.

Related: Ethereum L2s Must Evolve Beyond Cost Scaling, Says Vitalik