Anatoly Yakovenko Fires Back at Layer-2 Advocates, Says Solana’s L1 Is Enough

Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana, ignited a fresh debate on blockchain scalability by dismissing the necessity of Layer-2 (L2) solutions.

This adds to the greater discourse about L2 networks, with key industry leaders in the space taking notice.

Solana Founder Says There’s No Reason to Build L2

Yakovenko responded to Ethereum builder rip.eth’s claim that L2s are inherently faster, cheaper, and more secure than Layer-1 (L1) blockchains. They argued that L2s avoid the high costs and consensus risks of maintaining a full-fledged L1.

Citing the example of Eclipse, a Solana Virtual Machine (SVM)-based L2 leveraging Ethereum for security, rip.eth contended that L2s could deliver the best of both worlds: Solana’s speed combined with Ethereum’s decentralized security.

However, Yakovenko dismissed this, asserting that Solana’s L1 already provides sufficient scalability without needing an L2. The Solana executive countered, arguing that L1s can achieve those efficiencies without L2 complexity.

“There is no reason to build an L2. L1s can be faster, cheaper, and more secure,” Yakovenko stated.  

He pointed out that L2s face trade-offs due to reliance on an L1’s data availability stack, fraud proofs, and upgrade multisigs. In his opinion, all these introduce additional security concerns.

The conversation quickly expanded beyond L1 vs. L2 efficiency. A user, Marty McFly, raised concerns about blockchain scalability, questioning what happens when the amount of data stored on-chain grows exponentially.

Yakovenko responded that Solana currently generates around 80 terabytes of data per year. He said this is relatively small in a business context but large for individual storage. Alan, an advocate for decentralization, questioned Solana’s approach to managing unused storage, given that its state rent mechanism is inactive.

“What is Solana’s plan to offload unused storage given the current state rent mechanism is not turned on,” posed Alan.

Yakovenko clarified that Solana’s ledger will be stored on decentralized solutions like Filecoin (FIL). He indicated that offloading historical blockchain data to external storage providers is part of Solana’s long-term plan.

Shifting Trends in Layer-2 Adoption

Yakovenko’s argument against L2s comes at a time when Ethereum is experiencing significant changes in its transaction fee model. BeInCrypto reported a decline in Ethereum transaction fees, suggesting that L2 adoption has helped reduce users’ costs. This trend challenges the notion that L1 blockchains alone can meet all scalability needs without L2 enhancements.

Additionally, Binance’s founder, Changpeng Zhao, recently sparked a debate on whether artificial intelligence (AI) projects should be built on L1 or L2 solutions. The discussion mirrored Yakovenko’s and rip.eth’s arguments, highlighting the ongoing industry divide over where future blockchain-based AI applications should reside.

Meanwhile, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin recently weighed in on L2 sustainability. Six months ago, he predicted that some L2 networks would fail, emphasizing that many projects are unsustainable due to economic and security constraints.

However, just two months ago, Buterin outlined a roadmap to scale Ethereum’s L1 and L2 protocols in 2025, acknowledging that both layers will contribute to its growth.

“We need to continue building up the technical and social properties, and the utility, of Ethereum,” Buterin wrote.

Yakovenko’s firm stance against L2s highlights the growing divergence in blockchain scaling strategies. While Solana aims to push L1 scalability to its limits, Ethereum continues to develop both L1 and L2 solutions to achieve a balanced approach.