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ToggleEthereum 's rollup-centric scaling roadmap, which it has been pushing hard in recent years, has sparked huge controversy in the community in recent months due to the resulting fragmentation of liquidity across Layer 2 ecosystems and the resulting fragmented user experience. Even co-founder Vitalik Buterin has publicly reassessed the project, stating that most L2 shards have become "branded shards." However, Joe Lubin, CEO of crypto giant ConsenSys, expressed his strong belief in the roadmap in an interview with The Block.
Lubin optimistically stated that the latest technological breakthroughs in zero-knowledge proofs (ZK Proving) and composability are revitalizing Ethereum's scaling vision, and boldly predicted that Ethereum will leap to become a fully ZK-based protocol within 3 to 5 years, truly meeting the infinite needs of the "world computer".
Support the end of the Rollup! The mainnet will move towards the "Lean Ethereum" vision.
"I'm a staunch supporter of the Rollup-centric roadmap," Lubin stated frankly in an interview, adding that the current growing pains are simply a necessary step in the evolution. He pointed out that future core innovations will directly strengthen the Layer 1 (L1) mainnet. Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake previously proposed the vision of "Lean Ethereum," which aims to simplify the main chain using advanced zero-knowledge cryptography, with the goal of achieving a terrifying performance of over 10,000 TPS while maintaining a high degree of decentralization.
Lubin revealed that the evolution of cryptography will guide Ethereum to gradually adopt ZK proofs, eventually transforming L1 into a ZK protocol fully supported by multiple formal proofs. This will not only improve the security structure of L1 itself, but also fundamentally bridge the composability gap between L1 and L2.
From "decentralized" to "aggregated," eliminating cross-chain bridges for asset movement.
In response to Vitalik and the Ethereum Foundation's recent shift in focus back to "making L1 itself cheaper and faster," Lubin emphasized that L2 remains an indispensable frontier of innovation. He jokingly remarked that the fact that ZK proof technology first took root on L2 proves the team "guessed it right." Currently, L2 technology can achieve "real-time ZK proving," and this experience will soon feed back into the L1 mainnet.
Lubin explained that blockchain scaling has moved from the early "divergence phase" to the current "convergence phase." The fragmentation that was deliberately allowed in the past to allow the technology to flourish is now being addressed through chains such as Linea developed by ConsenSys and Gnosis, which use ZK technology to enable synchronous transaction combinations across networks.
The ultimate goal is to achieve a "Single atomic execution context." At that time, users and assets will move throughout the Ethereum ecosystem "without needing cross-chain bridges," completely unifying fragmented liquidity. This technology has even extended to Besu, ConsenSys' enterprise-grade branch, helping institutional chains of traditional financial giants such as Citi, DTC, and BNY Mellon seamlessly integrate into the unlimited capacity ecosystem of public chains.
Major restructuring! EF denies having a second foundation, will split into three teams.
In addition to outlining his technological vision, Lubin also clarified recent market rumors about Ethereum establishing a "second foundation" in the interview. He explicitly denied this claim but revealed that the Ethereum Foundation (EF) is undergoing a major restructuring, focusing on core protocol-related components (CROPs) in the future.
Lubin points out that at least three teams are known to be spinning off from the Ethereum Foundation, focusing on "core protocol development," "usability and scalability," and "institutional outreach," respectively. This magnificent transformation of organizational decentralization, coupled with the maturity of ZK technology, will push traditional economies onto the blockchain within the next 3 to 5 years, establishing Ethereum's unshakeable dominance in the Web3 settlement layer.
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