Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko has once again criticized Layer-2 rollups, arguing that they are unnecessary when Layer-1 blockchains can handle everything efficiently. He believes that L1 solutions, like Solana, are faster, cheaper, and more secure without the need for complicated fraud proofs or multi-signature upgrades, which he says only add unnecessary risks.
Taking a dig at the growing number of L2 networks, Yakovenko questioned why they even exist. Earlier this month, he said developers could skip the hassle of creating an L2 and just launch a token instead. In his view, there are only so many useful smart contracts out there, and that makes the expansion of L2s pointless.
He also argued that if a single L2 is capable of running transactions in parallel, then it should be able to make full use of the available blobspace and cover all necessary use cases. If that’s the case, he asks, why would there need to be multiple L2s competing with each other?
Yakovenko didn’t stop there. He has also been vocal about his criticism of Ethereum’s scaling model, claiming that L2s are actually harming Ethereum’s base layer rather than helping it. He said that these solutions drain high-priority transactions from Ethereum itself, making them more of a problem than a benefit.
In the past, he has even gone as far as to call L2s parasitic, arguing that they rely on Ethereum’s infrastructure while taking value away from the main blockchain.
Adding to the debate, Ethereum’s transaction revenue has plunged by 95% since its peak in late 2021. Yakovenko thinks this significant drop in Ethereum’s revenue brings up important doubts about whether L2s are truly helpful or if they’re actually weakening Ethereum’s core. In his opinion, the focus should be on improving Layer-1 solutions rather than adding more layers on top.
