#EthereumL2Outlook

Vitalik shared two long posts on X in the last 3-4 days. His main message is:
“Everyone used to say: Ethereum mainchain (L1) is too slow and expensive, so everything should be moved to L2s. L2s should be the ‘cheap and fast parts’ of Ethereum.”
But this logic is no longer valid.
Why?
The Ethereum mainchain (L1) has become much faster and cheaper.
Fees have dropped significantly, and the gas limit will increase significantly in 2026. So we don't have to go to L2 just because we need cheap transactions.
L2s haven't been as secure and decentralized as they promised.
Most are still not even “Stage 1”. Some say “we will never be fully secure” (because of regulation, customer demand, etc.).
That's why Vitalik says:
“L2s must stop being just ‘a cheap version of Ethereum’.
Either offer something truly special and different, or you will lose your importance over time.”
So what kind of special things could that be? (Examples from Vitalik)
True privacy (transactions that no one can see – with ZK technology)
Very fast transactions (one-tenth of a second – for exchanges, games)
A system optimized for a specific task (e.g., artificial intelligence, social media, identity, gaming, prediction markets)
Extra features not found in Ethereum (private oracle, dispute resolution mechanism, etc.)
Or a completely different logic (for example, transparent chains managed by institutions with their own rules)
And there's a very important quote from him:
"If you're just copy-pasting an EVM chain and putting a bridge with a 1-week delay... that doesn't add anything new to anyone anymore.
Either really connect with Ethereum and become a part of it, or openly say 'we are something separate'. Don't stop halfway."
In short, Vitalik's main message is this:
Ethereum has become very powerful on its own.
The old role of L2s (simply providing cheapness) is over.
The L2s that will survive from now on will be those that offer "a unique benefit you won't find anywhere else."
The rest will either disappear or continue as "a separate blockchain."
In the clearest terms:
"Ethereum has become cheap and fast. Now L2s have to stop being 'cheap Ethereum' and become 'something different and indispensable.'"