Ethereum R1 Launches as First Fully Donation-Funded Rollup—Because Apparently VC Money Wasn’t Cringe Enough

Developers just dropped Ethereum R1, a new rollup solution funded entirely by community donations—proving once again that crypto builders would rather beg strangers online than deal with pesky venture capitalists.

The ’100% donation-funded’ model raises eyebrows (and maybe a few exit scams) but showcases Ethereum’s relentless experimentation culture. Will it scale? Unlikely. Will it inspire a thousand Medium thinkpieces? Absolutely.

Meanwhile, traditional finance bros are still trying to figure out why their blockchain ETFs keep underperforming literal internet panhandling.

The launch addresses growing concerns about existing L2s, which the Ethereum R1 team argues often behave more like new layer-1 blockchains, with private allocations, opaque governance, and centralized control.

“General-purpose L2s should be commodities—simple, replaceable, and free from centralized dependencies or risky governance,” the team stated on X, adding “Ethereum R1 is our answer to that call.” 

The project is designed to be replaceable from fundamentals, meaning that it can evolve or be succeeded without harming the Ethereum ecosystem. Another cornerstone of Ethereum R1 is community involvement, with it being open for contributors to join discussions on Telegram and the Magician Forum, and to access resources on GitHub and the official website. 

Since its announcement on May 1, Ethereum R1 has already garnered significant attention from notable Ethereum personalities like Justin Drake and Vitalik Buterin. It is currently spearheaded by contributors like Jiajun, Ahmad, Kassandra, and Jünger.

As Ethereum continues to scale, Ethereum R1’s launch marks a pivotal moment in the debate over L2 development. It advocates for a future where rollups serve as public infrastructure rather than profit-driven enterprises. Moreover, the project’s commitment to transparency and community control could set a new standard for Ethereum’s scaling solutions. 

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