Starknet community overwhelmingly backs research into becoming an independent post-quantum Layer 1

Starknet launched on Ethereum mainnet in 2023 as a ZK-rollup built by StarkWare, settling proofs back to Ethereum rather than running its own validator set. Its STARK proof system was designed around hash functions rather than elliptic-curve cryptography, a choice StarkWare has long marketed as inherently resistant to quantum attacks, unlike the signature schemes Ethereum itself relies on. That technical head start is now the basis for asking whether Starknet should operate independently rather than stay tethered to Ethereum's security and roadmap.

Nothing changes yet for developers or users: bridges, settlement to Ethereum and existing contracts keep working exactly as before, since the poll only funds research and a whitepaper rather than any code change. StarkWare now owes the community a concrete technical proposal by November, and token holders face a second, binding vote before any exit becomes real. Builders planning multi-year roadmaps on Starknet should treat the 2027 post-quantum target as a design goal, not a deadline that forces action now.

Leaving Ethereum cuts against the rollup-centric scaling model Ethereum has pursued since 2020, where Layer 2s inherit security rather than build their own validator economics from scratch. A network built to extend Ethereum proposing to become its own Layer 1 raises a fair question about what 'Layer 2' commitments are worth once the underlying chain's roadmap, fees or quantum posture no longer suit a project's ambitions. Foundation-delegated STRK supplying most of the voting power also means this looked more like leadership consensus than broad token-holder revolt.

StarkWare's draft whitepaper, due in November, will show whether an independent chain is technically credible or remains aspirational, and it sets up the real test: a second, binding governance vote that the October 22 poll explicitly did not authorize. Until that vote happens, Starknet stays an Ethereum Layer 2 in practice. The 2027 target for full post-quantum security gives a rough timeline against which to judge whether the project moves from research to migration, or quietly stays put.