Why does Solana’s co-founder believe Ethereum’s L2 model is ‘fundamentally broken?’

Key Takeaways

Are Ethereum’s layer-2 networks truly secure?

Vitalik Buterin says yes, but Anatoly Yakovenko warns L2s still face major security risks.

How much value do top Ethereum L2s hold?

Arbitrum, Base, Optimism, and Worldchain together secure over $35 billion in total value locked.

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Ethereum’s [ETH] layer-2 networks are under scrutiny after a public clash between Co-Founder Vitalik Buterin and Solana’s [SOL] Anatoly Yakovenko.

The debate is on security; while L2s are meant to inherit Ethereum’s protection, some argue they bring new risks. The dispute has caused discussion among developers and investors about whether these scaling solutions are as safe as promised.

Buterin’s confidence in Ethereum’s L2 security

AMBCrypto previously reported on Vitalik Buterin’s confidence in the security model of Ethereum’s layer-2 networks.

He argued that L2s remain protected from 51% attacks since they inherit Ethereum’s base-layer finality. However, Buterin cautioned that risks emerge when validator sets take on functions outside Ethereum’s direct control, which could undermine those guarantees.

His comments come as top L2s hold over $35 billion in TVL, supported by Ethereum’s more than one million validators.

Yakovenko challenges the narrative

There was one loud opposing view, though.

Solana’s Anatoly Yakovenko dismissed Buterin’s claims as “erroneous,” arguing that after years of development, L2s still face the same worst-case risks as cross-chain bridges like Wormhole.

Further, an Ethereum supporter disagreed with Yakovenko, saying there’s “nothing fundamental” stopping L2s from inheriting Ethereum’s security. They also argued that Stage 2 L2s already act like vault contracts with full L1 protection and that Yakovenko’s criticism ignores ongoing upgrades.

Yakovenko pushed back, insisting there is something “fundamental” that still makes it hard for L2s to reach full security.

A challenge, he said, that remains unsolved even after five years.

ETH v SOL: The year gone by

Over the past year, Ethereum and Solana have shown similar price trends, rising and falling almost in sync. Ethereum gained about 15.45%, while Solana climbed 7.39%.

Both saw strong rallies mid-year before cooling off in September, then slowly recovered into late October.

At press time, Ethereum held just a slight lead.