Centralized sequencing stalls Superchain goals
The Optimism Superchain faces interoperability delays as centralized sequencing persists until 2026, while Base's decision to stop sharing its $16.4 million revenue contribution with the Optimism Collective has caused the OP token price to drop 25%.
Every major L2 still runs a centralized sequencer operated by a single entity. Arbitrum, Base, OP Mainnet, and zkSync Era each rely on one operator to handle ordering and block building. The Optimism Superchain plans a shared sequencer using Espresso Systems’ HotShot protocol for a 2026 rollout, but each member currently maintains its own centralized operator to handle transaction ordering and block building while they await the transition to a multi-operator system. Coinbase still operates the Base sequencer, while OP Labs manages OP Mainnet. This delay prevents the immediate realization of the Superchain’s interoperability vision.
The centralized nature of sequencing introduces censorship risks. A sequencer can decline to include a transaction regardless of the gas price. While all major rollups provide an L1 force-inclusion mechanism to bypass a malicious sequencer, this path adds delay and L1 gas costs. You should verify the force-inclusion path for any application handling sensitive user funds.
Coinbase departs from Optimism Collective
Coinbase stopped sharing Base revenue with the Optimism Collective, causing the OP token price to drop 25% to under $0.14. Base contributed 8,387 Ether, worth about $16.4 million, which accounts for 41% of the Optimism Collective’s lifetime revenue. Base will now use in-house code rather than the OP Stack to facilitate a much faster upgrade cadence of six major updates per year. This decision hits near-term on-chain revenues for the Superchain. A pseudonymous member of the Optimism Collective called the move disappointing because Base must answer to its own shareholders.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Base revenue contribution to Collective | 8,387 ETH |
| Total shared revenue to date | $16.4 million |
| OP token price drop | 25% |
| Base target upgrade cadence | 6 per year |
The departure of Base from the OP Stack creates a massive gap in the Superchain’s cohesion. The OP Stack was intended to turn siloed blockchains into a single, interoperable network, but the move toward independent infrastructure undermines that goal.
zkSync native abstraction and hyperchain sovereignty
Matter Labs differentiates zkSync Era through native account abstraction where every account behaves as a smart contract. This architecture allows all accounts, including EOAs, to use a Paymaster for gas payment logic because the system integrates these capabilities directly into the protocol layer instead of relying on a separate Bundler service. Unlike the ERC-4337 standard which requires a separate Bundler service and EntryPoint.sol contract, zkSync Era incorporates these functions into the protocol. The ZK Stack framework also allows teams to launch independent Hyperchains that share liquidity and bridges.
zkSync Era uses recursive ZK-SNARKs to enable the construction of a proof pyramid. This process lets the network scale by letting a SNARK proof verify another SNARK proof. Developers using the ZK Stack can choose specific configurations for data availability, tokenomics, and sequencing to suit their needs. This modularity gives developers control over whether they use a rollup, validium, or volition configuration.
While Optimism struggles with fragmentation, Matter Labs builds a system where individual chains act as part of a unified ZK ecosystem. The ZK Stack allows for the launch of many operational chains that share a common bridge. This architecture creates a unified experience where transactions require only one wallet confirmation. Will the ZK Stack achieve the same scale as the Superchain despite its different approach to sovereignty?
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