Vitalik Buterin: 'Copy-paste' Layer 2s are no longer viable

Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin has offered his suggestions on the future direction for Layer 2 solutions. He argued that there is no longer a place for "copy-paste" style replicant chains. Buterin stated that the approach of creating a generic Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) chain and connecting it with a bridge has exhausted the community's imagination and led to ecosystem stagnation. He emphasized the need for Layer 2s that provide new, previously non-existent value. Secondly, Buterin asserted that a project's public image must align with its underlying technical substance. If a Layer 2 emphasizes its connection to Ethereum, it must actually be technically linked. To achieve this, he suggested that settlement and account management functions could remain on Layer 1 while execution is separated to Layer 2, or that chains could maintain their independence while synchronizing all records to Ethereum. Buterin's latest comments come after major Layer 2 projects previously pushed back against his opinion that the role of Layer 2s within the Ethereum ecosystem needs to be redefined.