Uniswap Founder Calls for Unified Layer-2 Strategy to Combat Ethereum Congestion
2min read Uniswap founder Hayden Adams has called for a more aggressive and unified strategy towards Layer-2 scalability within the Ethereum ecosystem. Adams emphasized the urgent need to move regular user activity to Layer-2 solutions to address the high gas costs and congestion issues that Ethereum currently faces. This move is seen as crucial for Ethereum to maintain its competitive edge against fast, low-fee challengers like Solana.
Ask Aime: How will Uniswap's Layer-2 initiative affect Ethereum's scalability and competition?
The demand for Layer-2 solutions is not new, with rollups such as Optimism, Arbitrum, and Base already gaining significant traction. However, Adams argues that the Ethereum ecosystem has failed to provide a clear, easy-to-use roadmap for Layer-2 adoption. This lack of standardization results in a poor user experience, high onboarding friction, and uncertainty about bridges and wallets.
Adams' proposal is for Ethereum to act more like a singular product rather than a collection of loosely related systems. He suggests that users should not have to consider which Layer-2 they are on and should not incur heavy costs or complexity penalties for moving transactions between chains. Key pain points identified include wallets not supporting multiple Layer-2s natively, slow and costly bridges, liquidity fragmentation, non-standardized user interfaces, and a lack of education for non-technical users on Layer-2s.
To address these issues, Adams recommends that the Ethereum ecosystem normalize around a handful of Layer-2s or invest in interoperability infrastructure that abstracts away complexity for the user. This could include the development of a “canonical bridge” or a universal wallet experience to decrease Layer-2 confusion and boost confidence in the network’s scalability efforts.
Adams' comments come at a time when Solana's market share is growing, both in terms of developer activity and active users. Solana's low-fee, high-speed architecture has attracted not only retail users but also several major projects, especially with high Ethereum gas prices. Adams warns that Ethereum risks losing its edge if it does not make the Layer-2 experience seamless through concerted and immediate efforts.
The crypto community has responded with a mix of support and concern. Many developers, founders, and users have pointed out that even seasoned DeFi users struggle to switch easily between various Layer-2s due to technical differences. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and other ecosystem leaders have long advocated for a rollup-centric future, with the recent Dencun upgrade being a significant step forward. However, Adams' comment highlights the need for more coordination, messaging, and tooling to fully realize this vision.
While Ethereum remains the most secure and decentralized smart contract platform, continuing to dominate will require not just building out its infrastructure but also improving how that infrastructure is delivered and experienced. Adams' plea serves as a timely reminder that the window for seamless Layer-2 adoption is rapidly closing. The Ethereum community must act swiftly to ensure that the platform remains competitive in the face of growing challenges from other blockchain networks.
