Vitalik Buterin Shifts Ethereum Scaling to Mainnet Focus

Ethereum cofounder Vitalik Buterin announced a significant shift in the network's scaling strategy on February 3, 2026, stating that layer-2 networks should no longer serve as the primary method for expanding Ethereum's capacity. In a post on X, Buterin argued that recent improvements to the Ethereum mainnet have made it sufficiently scalable, reducing the reliance on external layer-2 solutions like Arbitrum, Optimism, and Base.

Buterin's reassessment stems from two key developments: accelerated progress on the Ethereum layer-1 base layer and persistent challenges in achieving full decentralization among layer-2 networks. He noted that many layer-2 projects have not progressed beyond initial stages of security and trustlessness, often due to regulatory or operational needs that require centralized control. "If you create a 10,000 TPS EVM where its connection to L1 is mediated by a multisig bridge, then you are not scaling Ethereum," Buterin wrote, criticizing setups that compromise the network's core security guarantees.

Technical upgrades have bolstered the mainnet's performance. In January 2026, Ethereum implemented a hard fork that raised the gas limit from 60 million to 80...