Vitalik calls for the Ethereum base layer to be "frozen," and innovation should shift to the L2 ecosystem.

According to ChainCatcher news and reported by DLNews, Vitalik Buterin stated at the Devconnect conference in Buenos Aires that the Ethereum base layer should gradually “ossify” to lock in core functionalities to prevent the introduction of vulnerabilities. “As time goes on, more rigidity benefits Ethereum, and the unexpected situations we have now have significantly decreased,” Vitalik told an audience of over 500. This marks Ethereum's shift from emphasizing flexibility to pursuing stability, where “boring” may be an advantage rather than a drawback for a network protecting hundreds of billions of dollars in value. Vitalik emphasized that rigidity does not mean complete freezing: the consensus layer can be locked while the EVM remains flexible, or vice versa. The key is to shift innovation from the base layer to Layer 2, wallets, and privacy tools in the peripheral ecosystem. “Shifting focus from L1 to the surrounding ecosystem is healthy.” He acknowledged that the early “exploratory spirit” has faded with the proliferation of meme coins and the entry of institutions, criticizing the “fast follower” mentality for damaging imagination.