Prior to the recent upgrade of Ethereum, the Layer 2 (L2) network was the main buyer of ETH. They used it for transactions and tokenburns, reducing the overall supply of Ethereum and strengthening the network. The system supported projects such as Celestia and Away, helping Ethereum maintain the appeal of deflation. But now things have changed.
What exactly happened to Ethereum?
– He is Justin Sang
(@justinsuntron) March 12, 2025
Justin San Ethereum Criticism: Major upgrades shift Ethereum market
Things changed after the upgrade. Currently, the L2 sells more ETH than it buys. This means that Ethereum's supply is increasing rather than shrinking, making it unattractive as a Deflation asset. This shift is concerning investors as it weakens network stability.
Since the Blob upgrade, it has been dead. Before the BLOB upgrade, L2 was a huge buyer of ETH through token burn. Additionally, it supports coins like Celestia and Avay. Since the BLOB upgrade, L2's Net has been selling ETH. ETH supply is increasing. It had been down before.
– solanasaurusrex.sol (@christo86383094) March 12, 2025
There is no clear vision.
Either a prisoner of war for sovereignty and decentralization, or a POS with very low fees and scalability.
But for now, they've stepped into both camps, and the protocol is too costly compared to other L2s like StarkNet and not as decentralized as Pow.
– Tom Megati (@tommegati) March 12, 2025
- Should it be highly decentralized and focused on sovereignty?
- Or should lower rates and better scalability be prioritized?
Vitalik pic.twitter.com/wdvxorkfei
– Nakamoto Robin (@robinnakamoto) March 12, 2025
Key takeout
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Ethereum upgrades have changed the market. L2S currently sells more ETH than its purchase, increasing supply and undermining the appeal of deflation.
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Scalability and pricing remain an issue. Despite the POS, Ethereum still struggles with high costs and slow trading, but L2s like StarkNet offer better alternatives.
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Decentralization is weakened – moving from Pow to POS reduces Ethereum's independence and lacks a clear direction.
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Ethereum requires a clear strategy. To stay competitive, you need to choose between decentralization and scalability.
Justin Sun's post asked, “What happened to Ethereum?” This is the first answer that appeared in 99 Bitcoin.