Bankless Devcon #6 - The Layer 2 Wars with Bartek Kiepuszewski
Oct 25, 2022
In this conversation, Bartek Kiepuszewski, the founder of Layer 2 Beat and a former contributor at MakerDAO, dives deep into the Layer 2 Wars shaping the Ethereum ecosystem. He discusses crucial advancements like zkEVMs and ranks different Layer 2 solutions, emphasizing decentralization, transparency, and user sovereignty. Bartek highlights the competitive landscape among Arbitrum, Optimism, and StarkNet, while addressing the importance of user education and navigating censorship challenges for a better blockchain experience.
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L2 Centralization
- Most layer-two (L2) projects are currently centralized and controlled by their creators.
- Almost all L2 teams have roadmaps for decentralization, though their transparency varies.
L2 Transparency Issues
- Some L2 teams are more transparent about their limitations than others, like multi-sig bridges and lack of fraud proofs.
- It's a race to build, and some teams may feel pressured to launch with training wheels if others do.
Different Approaches to L2 Development
- Some optimistic rollup teams actively develop fraud-proof tech, like Arbitrum and Optimism.
- Others, like Boba and Mattis, fork Optimism's code and innovate on the edges, waiting for Optimism's fraud proof system.