No Need for Layer-2 Solutions

Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko has expressed that there is no necessity for layer-2 (L2) solutions. According to Yakovenko, layer-1 (L1) solutions can potentially be faster, more affordable, and more secure.

> “They aren’t slowed down by a glacially moving L1 data availability stack, or have to compromise security with complex fraud proofs and upgrade multisigs,” Yakovenko stated.

Yakovenko also noted that Solana generates a “measly” amount of data, approximately 80 terabytes per year, addressing concerns about L1 blockchain storage limitations.

Competing with Layer-2s

Earlier this month, he argued that users could bypass creating a seemingly valueless L2 and simply launch a token. Yakovenko believes that Solana is in competition with “every” Ethereum L2 but not with the Ethereum mainnet.

Redundancy of Multiple L2s

The Solana co-founder considers it unnecessary to have multiple L2 solutions since the number of valuable smart contracts is limited.

> “There is no point to multiple L2s. If a single L2 can handle parallel execution, then it can use up all the blobspace and run every use case. What’s more is that there aren’t infinite useful smart contracts, let alone execution environments,” he noted in January.

Ethereum’s L2 Crisis

Ethereum’s quarterly transaction revenue has observed a dramatic decline of 95% from its all-time high recorded in the fourth quarter of 2021. Last year, Yakovenko categorized L2s as “parasitic” due to their tendency to prioritize transactions over the base layer.