Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko have offered conflicting views on the safety of Ethereum’s layer-2 networks.
This has sparked debate inside the crypto business over whether or not L2 options actually inherit sturdy safety from Ethereum’s base layer.
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Buterin Defends L2 Safety Mannequin
Buterin emphasizes that Ethereum layer-2 options keep robust safety towards 51% assaults. They inherit finality ensures from the bottom layer. In a latest publish on X, he said: “A key property of a blockchain is that even a 51% assault can’t make an invalid block legitimate. This implies even 51% of validators colluding (or hit by a software program bug) can’t steal your belongings.”
Nevertheless, Buterin acknowledged limitations when validator units are trusted past chain-controlled capabilities.
“This property doesn’t carry over if you happen to begin trusting your validator set to do different issues, that the chain doesn’t have management over,” he added. “At that time, 51% of validators can collude and provides a flawed reply, and also you don’t have any recourse.”
Main L2 networks, together with Arbitrum, Base, Optimism, and Worldchain, collectively maintain over $35 billion in locked worth. They depend on Ethereum’s safety structure. The Ethereum validator set presently exceeds a million lively members, considerably outnumbering Solana’s roughly 2,000 validators. Proponents argue this bolsters resistance to coordinated assaults.
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Yakovenko Questions L2 Safety Assumptions
Yakovenko straight challenged Buterin’s assertions.
“The declare that L2s inherit eth safety is inaccurate. 5 years into the L2 roadmap, wormhole eth on solana has the identical worst case dangers as eth on base and generates as a lot income for eth L1 stakers,” he said on X(Twitter).
The Solana co-founder questioned whether or not technical limitations forestall L2s from attaining desired safety properties.
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“Sure there’s something basic about L2s that makes it tough to really obtain the specified safety. That’s why it hasn’t occurred in 5 years. Or are you suggesting that each one the L2 groups are lazy or dumb?” Yakovenko wrote.
He identifies three main considerations with present L2 implementations. First, L2 networks expose huge assault surfaces with complicated code bases, which show tough to audit comprehensively. Second, multi-signature custody preparations enable funds to be moved with out consumer consent. This happens if signers collude or face compromise. Third, off-chain processing mechanisms centralize management, contradicting blockchain’s core decentralization rules.
Yakovenko has proposed growing a specialised bridge that positions Ethereum as a layer-2 for Solana. This goals to facilitate seamless asset transfers between ecosystems whereas addressing safety considerations.
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Proliferation Raises Ecosystem Considerations
The Ethereum layer-2 panorama has expanded considerably. L2Beat reviews 129 verified networks alongside 29 extra unverified ones. This proliferation has generated debate over whether or not it fosters innovation or creates inefficiencies.
CoinGecko information reveals that within the first half of 2025, Ethereum declined 25.0% whereas Solana dropped 19.1%. Nevertheless, Solana outperformed Ethereum by 26.2% in January earlier than each belongings confronted broader market strain.
This displays shifting market sentiment. Business observers notice that as layer-2 networks evolve, initiatives like information availability sampling and shared sequencing intention to mitigate centralization dangers. The controversy underscores ongoing challenges in balancing safety with scalability.