VC Blasts Ethereum and Layer-2s, Endorses Dash: Here’s Why

As a seasoned crypto investor with over a decade of experience in this dynamic and ever-evolving market, I have seen my fair share of triumphs and tribulations. The recent developments in Ethereum’s layer-2 solutions have piqued my interest, and as Justin Boons, the founder and CIO of Cyber Capital, has rightly pointed out, there are some concerning aspects that we cannot overlook.


As Ethereum developers continue to diligently work towards creating on-chain scalability solutions like Sharding, the spotlight has shifted to layer-2 solutions which are gaining momentum. According to L2Beat, as of September 6, these layer-2 scaling solutions collectively handled almost $34 billion in value.

VC Blasts Ethereum and Layer-2s, Endorses Dash: Here’s Why

Generally recognized and on the rise, many of these platforms tend to lean towards being centralized rather than distributed. Moreover, they’ve been drawing criticism due to security issues. For instance, the OP Mainnet had to switch back to a dependable, centralized system after detecting vulnerabilities in its decentralized counterpart.

Ethereum And Its Layer-2s Are Flawed

Given these shortcomings, Justin Boons, the creator and Chief Investment Officer of Cyber Capital, is becoming more critical towards Ethereum and particularly its layer-2 platforms. In a recent post on X, the founder contends that solutions like Arbitrum and Base are inherently flawed and centralized offerings.

Boons began using X, pointing out the flaws in Ethereum developers’ initial scaling efforts. The founder criticizes them for not addressing scalability issues immediately following launch and argues that layer-2 solutions are proving to be detrimental, or parasitic. While these off-chain solutions offer benefits, Boons asserts they foster an unbalanced reliance.

It’s worth noting that the founder pointed out that Ethereum is increasingly relying on these solutions, but they don’t align with the fundamental principles of blockchain technology, which emphasize decentralization.

As a researcher, I’ve come to believe that the developers behind Ethereum layer-2 solutions are leveraging the mainstream appeal of the mainnet, not necessarily for advancing its adoption, but primarily for financial gain.

VC Blasts Ethereum and Layer-2s, Endorses Dash: Here’s Why

Their decision to sacrifice decentralization (and thus security) will, at the fullness of time, only serve to undermine the entire ecosystem. In his view, platforms like Base, Arbitrum, and the OP Mainnet shouldn’t be considered “extensions” of the base layer due to their inherent weaknesses.

Dash Will Benefit For Decentralizing From The Start

In his critique of Ethereum’s scaling methods, the founder championed Dash, an early player in the blockchain field. Contrasting with off-chain solutions, Dash, asserted the venture capitalist, has always emphasized scalability right from its inception.

Specifically, Boons opted for the blockchain’s choice of a decentralized management model. This strategy, as the founder noted, is expected to be advantageous for them in the near future.

Despite encountering difficulties with layer-2 solutions, Ethereum developers continue to enhance the core network. The Ethereum 2.0 update is designed to provide scalability directly on the blockchain, preserving security and decentralization through a sequence of upgrades, ranging from Verge to Splurge.

In parallel, the green light for ETFs based on spot Ethereum signifies a significant validation of its network. While the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not officially recognized ETH as a commodity in the same vein as Bitcoin, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) does view it as such.

In more recent times, Dash, which was once a pioneering platform, has fallen out of favor and isn’t as prominent as it used to be. It doesn’t rank among the top 100 most valuable networks currently, and due to de-listing from exchanges like HTX, it now struggles with liquidity issues.

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2024-09-07 16:11