Original Author: @shmula
Translated by: zhouzhou, BlockBeats

Editor's Note: This article discusses Ethereum's role in the development of technologies such as Rollup, L2, and L3. As projects launch their own chains through Rollup as a Service (RaaS), the team's focus is shifting towards product, users, and tokens, rather than aligning with Ethereum. The author uses the metaphor of the "abandoned mother" to describe how Ethereum is gradually becoming the "mother" of projects that are deviating from it, with ETH as an asset being diluted in this process. The author asks: If Ethereum does not want to become this kind of "mother," how should it respond to this change?

Below is the original content (restructured for readability):

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

My perspective is: Any behavior that moves transactions and activity away from Ethereum L1 fundamentally constitutes a form of value extraction.

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

Let me explain using two perspectives: one is a Toyota analogy, and the other is a real-world Rollup project I advised.

While working at Toyota, I learned a principle from my lean mentor called Genchi Genbutsu (现地现物). It means: "Go and see for yourself." Do not rely solely on dashboards or second-hand information; experience things firsthand. This concept deeply influenced how I analyze ecosystems like Ethereum.

Genchi Genbutsu teaches you to avoid the trap of abstraction.

Data is certainly helpful, but without firsthand experiential knowledge, the data is incomplete.

I have witnessed the launch of several Rollup projects, and each time, I observed the same transformation. And the interesting part begins here.

Here, I want to introduce a concept: the "Orphaned Mother".

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

Philosophy nurtured them, but its "children" grew up and moved away from it, eventually leaving her as an abandoned mother.

Every new Rollup, L2, L3 that emerges gradually turns Ethereum into that "abandoned mother."

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

Initially, they were all idealists.

At that time, they used Rollup-as-a-Service providers like @gelatonetwork, @alt_layer, @conduitxyz, or @Calderaxyz. These companies were all excellent and provided great service to their clients.

The whole process was very straightforward, taking less than 30 minutes: you would have your own chain.

From that moment on, everything started to change.

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

Their focus turned to product, users, community, and growth. They were fully committed to their chain and token.

As for staying aligned with Ethereum? It was no longer among the top ten priorities.

This is not a criticism of them but a reflection of reality.

When you operate your own chain, your mindset changes. You optimize your flywheel, your incentives, your token.

Ethereum became that abandoned mother.

Back to Genchi Genbutsu—go and see for yourself.

Launch your own Rollup, use a RaaS, try to develop it, issue your own token. Experience it firsthand, and you will see how your mindset shifts from an ETH maxi to a token founder. You will feel this change.

Let me summarize:

(1) Launching your own chain will transform you from an Ethereum-aligned builder to a business owner.

(2) This ownership mentality makes ETH optional.

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

This is neither good nor bad, it just is. But if Ethereum wants to avoid becoming the “abandoned mother” in a modular stack, it needs to confront this dynamic head-on.

In this model, ETH as an asset will indeed get diluted. The question is: How do we respond to it?

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