Ed Felten on Scaling Ethereum and What Institutions Want

Ed Felten, co-founder of Offchain Labs, joined Gareth Jenkinson at ETHCC Cannes to discuss the evolution of Ethereum and the growing debate around L1 vs L2. He explains Arbitrum’s approach to scaling, the transition toward ZK proofs, and why layered architecture remains critical for performance and cost efficiency.

OUTLINE
00:00 – Introduction
00:54 – White House Experience
03:09 – Discovering Bitcoin and Ethereum
04:35 – Why Ethereum Won
06:59 – Arbitrum Origins
08:33 – Rollups and ZK Shift
12:16 – Rollup Misconceptions
14:44 – L2 vs L1 Debate
22:06 – Institutions and L2 Adoption
33:39 – Market Outlook and Future

Ed Felten –
Offchain Labs –

Gareth Jenkinson – ⁠⁠⁠
The Block –
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