TechFlow news — Coinbase protocol lead Jesse Pollak has responded to concerns about centralization on Base, the Layer 2 blockchain, clarifying the "permissionless" nature of the Base network in a social media post.
Pollak stated that Base is permissionless, and Coinbase cannot unilaterally control contracts or freeze funds on the Optimistic rollup network. "Like other OP chains, challenges for upgrades and authorization in the current system are still permitted. Base and the OP Stack have much work ahead in decentralization, especially achieving real-time fraud proofs and more secure contract upgrades."
Currently, Coinbase is the sole operator of the sequencer for the Base network, which plays a critical role in transaction ordering and data availability on the Layer 2 network. While critics argue this design leads to centralization, nearly all Layer 2 chains follow a similar architecture. Pollak said he will share more details about Base's decentralization roadmap in the coming weeks. He previously stated that Coinbase is committed to decentralizing the Base network.
Earlier, Gnosis founder Martin Köppelmann posted on social media highlighting evidence of Base's lack of decentralization.
