In the ever-evolving world of blockchain, debates about neutrality and decentralization never seem to fade. Recently, Ethereum educator and influencer Anthony Sassano, better known as @sassal0x on X (formerly Twitter), sparked a conversation with his pointed response to Paradigm founder Matt Huang's announcement about Tempo—a new permissionless chain aimed at global payments.

Sassano's tweet, posted on September 6, 2025, directly quotes Huang's explanation for building Tempo as an L1 (Layer 1) blockchain rather than an L2 on Ethereum. Huang argued that a decentralized validator set is essential for neutrality, especially when onboarding thousands of partners who might not trust centralized entities like Stripe, which is backing the project.

But Sassano wasn't buying it. He fired back, saying, "You are literally describing Ethereum here." He emphasized that with a well-built L2 on Ethereum, projects can inherit the same properties of decentralization and neutrality while scaling far beyond what a standalone L1 can offer. For those new to the terms, L1 refers to base blockchains like Ethereum or Bitcoin, while L2s are scaling solutions built on top of them, like Optimism or Arbitrum, which handle more transactions efficiently.

Sassano dug deeper into the neutrality issue. "How is Tempo going to be neutral when it's backed by Stripe?" he questioned. Stripe, a major payments company, is involved in Tempo's development, raising concerns about potential biases. Why would competitors trust a chain influenced by Stripe, and why wouldn't they just launch their own? Sassano pointed out the growing number of stablecoin-focused L1s as evidence that businesses rarely trust each other to remain "credibly neutral."

He wrapped up by stressing that true neutrality isn't something you can simply promise—it's earned through time and design. In his view, only Bitcoin and Ethereum have truly achieved it so far. This hits home in the crypto space, where permissionless access (meaning anyone can participate without approval) is a core principle.

This exchange isn't just academic; it has real implications for the meme token community. Meme tokens, those fun, community-driven cryptocurrencies like Dogecoin or newer ones on Solana, thrive on neutral, permissionless platforms. If new chains like Tempo claim neutrality but are backed by big corporations, it could fragment the ecosystem further. Builders in the meme space often prefer Ethereum's L2s for their security and scalability, avoiding the risks of unproven L1s.

Replies to Sassano's tweet echoed similar sentiments. One user compared Tempo to Base, an existing Ethereum L2 that's already live and kicking for over two years, calling out potential "VC scams." Another suggested that Paradigm doesn't need to build anew—they could just enhance Ethereum with privacy layers if needed.

As meme token enthusiasts and blockchain practitioners, it's worth watching how projects like Tempo evolve. Will they deliver on permissionless promises, or will Ethereum's ecosystem continue to dominate for its proven track record? For more on Ethereum's scaling solutions, check out The Daily Gwei, Sassano's own platform.

This debate underscores a key lesson: in crypto, neutrality is king, but earning it is no easy feat. Stay tuned as more L1s enter the fray, potentially shaking up where the next big meme token launches.