Layer 3s Only Exist to Take Value Away From Ethereum: Polygon Labs CEO – Unchained

Polygon Labs’ Marc Boiron says if all layer 3 networks settled on to one layer 2, Ethereum would capture “basically no value” and the blockchain’s security would be at risk.

The rise of layer 2 networks was one of the key themes in the crypto space last year, but as blockchain interoperability and scalability come into even bigger focus, layer 3 networks might start to see some time in the spotlight.

Layer 2 networks are built on top of the underlying blockchain, offering cheaper and faster transactions by combining a bundle of off-chain transactions into a single layer 1 transaction, benefiting from its security. 

On the other hand, layer 3 networks submit transaction bundles to the layer 2 network, offering even lower gas fees given the significantly lower cost of storing transactions on a layer. 

To some, this makes layer 3 networks the ultimate scaling solution, particularly for hosting decentralized applications (dApps) and executing custom functions. However, not everyone is buying into that narrative.

“I’ll say the quiet part out loud: L3s exist only to take value away from Ethereum and onto the L2s on which the L3s are built,” said Polygon Labs CEO Marc Boiron on X. 

I agree that L2s are Ethereum. I disagree that L2 value is Ethereum value. Just take this to the extreme. If all L3s settled to one L2, then Ethereum would capture basically no value and, thus, Ethereum security would be at risk.

— Marc Boiron (@0xMarcB) March 31, 2024

He further argued that if all layer 3 networks settled on to one layer 2, Ethereum would capture “basically no value” and its security would be at risk. 

Polygon Labs is the entity behind prominent layer 2 networks, including the Polygon proof-of-stake blockchain and the Polygon zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine (zkEVM) rollup. 

“If Ethereum earns no fees and has no prospect of earning fees other than a tiny amount of fees from this one L2, then the value of ETH will drop and, when it is clear that it’ll continue to drop because there is no economic future for it, validators will no longer be willing to hold ETH and, thus, no longer be willing to secure the network,” said Boiron.

Boiron’s comments come after the launch of Degen Chain, a layer 3 network built on the Ethereum layer 2 Base, designed specifically for the Farcaster community and the DEGEN token. So far, most of the chain’s ecosystem activity has been centered around memecoin trading.

i bridged to DEGEN and minted a farcats degenesis 🎩https://t.co/USU856tBuH pic.twitter.com/fr0vgrkVe5

— Jesse Pollak (jesse.xyz) 🛡️ (@jessepollak) April 1, 2024