So the grand prize for four years down the "L2 scaling" rabbit hole is a detailed map for the next expedition: the ZK-EVM--the new "magic" where batches of transactions are executed off-chain, and a single, massively complex cryptographic proof is generated to verify them all at once on Ethereum. The goal is scaling; the reality is a Rube Goldberg machine of specialized hardware, extreme computational cost, and centralizing pressures.
The true innovation isn't scaling, but perfecting the governance ritual: champion an over-engineered, years-away solution, quietly admit its failure, and rebrand the pivot to the next over-engineered solution as visionary progress.
The roadmap's most scalable feature is its own timeline. Amazing.
