{"id":95149,"date":"2026-03-12T10:22:39","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T07:22:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/?p=95149"},"modified":"2026-03-12T10:25:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T07:25:14","slug":"op-labs-reduces-workforce-by-20-following-bases-transition-to-its-own-stack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/op-labs-reduces-workforce-by-20-following-bases-transition-to-its-own-stack\/","title":{"rendered":"OP Labs Reduces Workforce by 20% Following Base&#8217;s Transition to Its Own Stack"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>OP Labs, the developer of <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-optimism-op\">Optimism<\/a>, has laid off 20 employees to streamline internal processes and reduce costs, according to CEO Jing Wang.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Today we shared difficult news with the OP Labs team.<\/p>\n<p>Our priority was to communicate with the impacted people &#038; give the team time to process the news before sharing publicly. This decision reflects a narrowing of our focus, not our runway.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m sharing the note I sent to the\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/rJThhlcFaw\">pic.twitter.com\/rJThhlcFaw<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Optimist Prime (@jinglejamOP) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jinglejamOP\/status\/2031906216277131745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 12, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>A screenshot of the general chat, now with 102 participants, suggests that 19.6% of the staff were affected.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>\u201cThis is not about finances. OP Labs is well-capitalized, with a runway for years to come. It\u2019s about doing fewer things well, making decisions faster, and reducing coordination costs,\u201d Wang wrote. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>She did not specify which positions were affected but encouraged recruiters to consider the former employees, describing them as \u201ctalented engineers, operators, and developers who helped build Optimism into what it is today.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Transition Period<\/h2>\n<p>Optimism is a key layer-two solution for Ethereum. At the time of writing, its <span data-descr=\"total value locked\" class=\"old_tooltip\">TVL<\/span> exceeds $1.5 billion. The project has also reached the first stage of decentralization (Stage 1). <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"179\" src=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-cd0f45d7dc00acce-8516214745695347-1024x179.png\" alt=\"image\" class=\"wp-image-276654\" srcset=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-cd0f45d7dc00acce-8516214745695347-1024x179.png 1024w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-cd0f45d7dc00acce-8516214745695347-300x52.png 300w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-cd0f45d7dc00acce-8516214745695347-768x134.png 768w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-cd0f45d7dc00acce-8516214745695347-1536x268.png 1536w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-cd0f45d7dc00acce-8516214745695347.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/l2beat.com\/scaling\/summary\">L2BEAT<\/a>. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The OP Stack technology stack serves as an open foundation for creating customizable blockchains, and it underpins the <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-a-layer%e2%80%912-solution-in-blockchain\">L2<\/a> network <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-base-coinbases-l2\">Base<\/a> by Coinbase. In mid-February, developers of the solution <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/base-shifts-from-optimism-stack-to-proprietary-architecture\">announced<\/a> a transition to their own architecture for independent development, adding pressure on Optimism. <\/p>\n<p>Over the past month, the price of the native OP token has fallen by 36.7%. At the time of writing, the coin is trading around $0.11. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-35a9eefd8392cb9e-8516234126847861-1024x640.png\" alt=\"image\" class=\"wp-image-276655\" srcset=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-35a9eefd8392cb9e-8516234126847861-1024x640.png 1024w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-35a9eefd8392cb9e-8516234126847861-300x188.png 300w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-35a9eefd8392cb9e-8516234126847861-768x480.png 768w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-35a9eefd8392cb9e-8516234126847861-1536x960.png 1536w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-35a9eefd8392cb9e-8516234126847861.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Hourly chart of OP\/USDT on Binance. Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/ru.tradingview.com\/chart\/?symbol=BINANCE%3AOPUSDT\">TradingView<\/a>. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Shift in Narrative<\/h2>\n<p>Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/vitalik-buterin-as-ethereum-scales-the-need-for-l2-diminishes\">believes<\/a> that as the main network scales, the relevance of L2 diminishes. He noted that <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-are-rollups-and-how-do-they-scale-ethereum\">rollups<\/a> are decentralizing more slowly than expected. <\/p>\n<p>The programmer advised developers not to replicate L1 but to seek unique niches: privacy, specialized applications, non-financial scenarios, and ultra-high speed. <\/p>\n<p>As a technical base, he proposed a \u201cnative rollup precompile\u201d\u2014a protocol-integrated mechanism for verifying <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-a-zero-knowledge-proof\">ZK-proofs<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Representatives of L2 networks <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/l2-developers-debate-with-buterin-on-ethereum-scaling\">acknowledge<\/a> the need for evolution. However, players like Offchain Labs insist that the Ethereum mainnet still cannot match layer-two solutions in terms of throughput.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Optimism&#8217;s Plans<\/h2>\n<p>Despite challenges, Optimism has a clear roadmap for 2026. One of the main goals is to accelerate block formation times. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">What Optimism is shipping in 2026:<\/p>\n<p>\u2192 Even faster blocks<br \/>\u2192 More economic parameters<br \/>\u2192 Continuous upgrades<br \/>\u2192 Native interoperability<br \/>\u2192 Custom compliance controls<br \/>\u2192 Actions SDK<br \/>\u2192 ZK proof systems <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XNm99PDWVq\">pic.twitter.com\/XNm99PDWVq<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Optimism (@Optimism) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Optimism\/status\/2026695391220248838?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 25, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Developers also plan to: <\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>implement native interoperability between networks;<\/li>\n<li>develop compliance control mechanisms for different jurisdictions;<\/li>\n<li>launch ZK-proof systems compatible with <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/ethereum-to-implement-quantum-threat-protection\">Ethereum&#8217;s quantum-resistant roadmap<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In March, the Ethrex team, in collaboration with the Ethereum Foundation and L2BEAT, <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/ethereum-developers-unveil-prototype-of-native-rollups-without-zk-proofs\">introduced<\/a> the code and documentation for a ready-to-use environment for <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/native-rollups-what-they-are-and-how-they-could-bring-money-back-to-ethereum\">native rollups<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>OP Labs, the developer of Optimism, has laid off 20 employees to streamline internal processes and reduce costs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":95150,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"select":"1","news_style_id":"1","cryptorium_level":"","_short_excerpt_text":"OP Labs cuts 20% of staff to streamline processes and cut costs.","creation_source":"","_metatest_mainpost_news_update":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[46,1179,1276,1362],"class_list":["post-95149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-ethereum","tag-layer-2-solutions","tag-layoffs","tag-optimism-op"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"views":"171","promo_type":"1","layout_type":"1","short_excerpt":"OP Labs cuts 20% of staff to streamline processes and cut costs.","is_update":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95149"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95149\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":95151,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95149\/revisions\/95151"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/95150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}