The challenges of Ethereum, how to address the value loss in modular stack?

Written by: papiofficial

Compiled by: zhouzhou, BlockBeats

Editor's note: This article discusses the changing role of Ethereum in the development of technologies such as Rollup, L2, L3, etc. As the project launched its own chain through Rollup-as-a-Service (RaaS), the team's focus shifted to products, users, and tokens rather than alignment with Ethereum. The author uses the "abandoned mother" metaphor that Ethereum gradually becomes the "mother" of projects that deviate from it, and ETH is diluted as an asset in the process. Author's question: If Ethereum doesn't want to become this "mother", how should it respond to this change?

The following is the original content (for ease of reading and understanding, the original content has been slightly rearranged):

The Ethereum community has spent a lot of time discussing whether Rollup, L2, and L3 extract value from Ethereum L1. Over the past 24 hours, @ameensol, @haydenzadams, @wmougayar, @siobh_eth, @TrustlessState, and others have been deeply involved in this discussion.

My view is that any action that transfers transactions and activities away from Ethereum L1 is essentially a form of value extraction.

This is not necessarily a bad thing. But I think, in the long run, it will indeed affect the asset ETH.

Let me explain from two perspectives: one is an analogy with Toyota, and the other is a real-world Rollup project that I was involved in as a consultant.

While working at Toyota, I learned a principle from my lean mentor called Genchi Genbutsu (現地現物). It means: "Go and see for yourself." Don't just rely on data dashboards or second-hand information; experience things firsthand. This philosophy has deeply influenced the way I analyze ecosystems like Ethereum.

Genchi Genbutsu teaches you to avoid falling into the trap of abstraction.

Data is certainly helpful, but without firsthand practical experience, the data is incomplete.

I have participated in the launch of several Rollup projects, and each time I witnessed the same changes. The interesting part begins right here.

Here I would like to introduce a concept: "Orphaned Mother".

In philosophy, this term refers to disciplines such as physics, mathematics, and economics, which originally emerged from philosophy.

Philosophy gave birth to them, but its "children" left it when they grew up, and in the end, she became an abandoned mother.

Every new emergence of Rollup, L2, and L3 will gradually turn Ethereum into that "abandoned mother."

A few years ago, I provided advice for a Rollup project focused on a specific domain. All the team members were staunch believers in Ethereum—I met them back at the ETH San Francisco event in 2017.

At first, they were all idealists.

At that time, they were using Rollup-as-a-Service providers like @gelatonetwork, @alt_layer, @conduitxyz, or @Calderaxyz. These companies are all very excellent and have served their customers well.

The entire process is very simple and can be completed in less than 30 minutes: you will have your own chain.

From that moment on, everything began to change.

After going online, their mindset changed. They were no longer just builders, but had become entrepreneurs.

Their focus has shifted to products, users, communities, and growth. They are fully committed to their own chain and tokens.

As for whether to align with Ethereum? It has already fallen off the top ten priorities.

This is not to criticize them, but the reality of the situation.

When you operate your own chain, your mindset will change. You will optimize your own flywheel, your own incentive mechanism, and your own tokens.

Ethereum has become that abandoned mother.

Go back to Genchi Genbutsu - go see for yourself.

Launch your own Rollup, use a RaaS, try to develop it, and issue your own tokens. Experience it for yourself, and you will find how your mindset shifts from being an ETH-maxi to that of a token founder. You will feel this change.

Let me summarize:

( Starting your own chain will transform you from a builder aligned with Ethereum into a business owner.

) This owner mentality makes ETH optional.

(3) Don't just take my word for it, verify it yourself.

This is neither a good thing nor a bad thing; it is just the way it is. However, if Ethereum wants to avoid becoming the "abandoned mother" in the modular stack, it needs to confront this dynamic head-on.

In this model, ETH as an asset will indeed be diluted. The question is: how should we respond?