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– Vitalik Buterin has expressed that the launch of near-similar layer 2 networks and sovereign blockchains makes a minimal contribution to Ethereum’s development.

Buterin pointed out that expanding the EVM-compatible blockchain space reduces the need for duplicate chains.

He called for genuine innovation, emphasizing privacy-focused initiatives.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin recently criticized the lack of originality in the scaling ecosystem and Layer-2 blockchain realm. In his latest blog post, Buterin noted that the field has become overly obsessed with running little different EVM-based networks. He emphasized the need for significant breakthroughs in new and promising networks.

Vitalik Buterin shared his opinion on new EVM networks coming to the market. The industry should not limit itself to launching another EVM-based network with a convenient bridge to Ethereum. Buterin’s remarks come amid his recent actions to sell ETH.

He drew an analogy to the early days of DeFi management, when repeated forks of protocols like Compound held back real progress. In Buterin’s opinion, this approach “stifled imagination” and brought infrastructure development to a standstill.

He was particularly harsh on EVM chains, which function without significant integration with Ethereum. Buterin emphasized that the ecosystem does not need additional independent L1 solutions.

He added that the Ethereum base tier is already scaling and will continue to offer a measurably larger amount of EVM-compatible block space. He said that while Ethereum is not borderless, it is capable of supporting a wide range of applications.

the Ethereum co-founder said that developers should focus more on systems that offer truly new capabilities. He also pointed to niche areas such as privacy-enabling architectures, ultra-low latency execution and performance optimization for specific use cases.

Vitalik Buterin criticized projects that position themselves as closely related to Ethereum, but support only superficial or limited connectivity to the core network. Buterin said that teams should not use the Ethereum connection solely for marketing purposes, but should be honest about their connection to the project.

On the other hand, Buterin raised concerns about the decision-making process in the Ethereum ecosystem. He has previously called for a move away from emotion-based informal governance in favor of more structured and accountable processes.

In the latest announcement, Buterin is involved in a new security initiative with Ethereum early adopters called “OG”. The initiative will utilize the $220 million that has remained locked up since the TheDAO hack in 2016. The goal of the venture is to channel unused assets into a security trust fund.