Vitalik Buterin Criticizes Ethereum 'Copypasta' L2 Chains as Rollup Narrative Weakens

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has issued a stark critique against the proliferation of 'copypasta' Layer 2 (L2) chains on the Ethereum network. He argues that the common justification for these chains—that they are legitimate rollups—is losing credibility. Buterin emphasized that many projects are simply replicating existing code without bringing meaningful innovation or adhering to the core security and decentralization principles of proper rollups. This trend, he warns, could fragment liquidity and user experience without providing the scalability and efficiency benefits that genuine Layer 2 solutions like Optimistic and ZK-Rollups promise. The commentary highlights a growing concern within the Ethereum ecosystem about distinguishing true scaling solutions from low-effort forks.