Starknet (STRK) just leveled up with the official launch of Stage 1. In simple terms, the network has officially hit the first stage of decentralization, according to L2BEAT. This means that users are no longer completely at the mercy of the core team. Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum co-founder, gave his approval, cementing Starknet’s status as one of the few Layer 2s he considers worth paying attention to.

Buterin himself was actually part of the STRK token drop last year. He received his stash through Starknet’s LockedTokenGrant, then quietly moved over 2 million tokens from his Gnosis Safe to an unlabeled wallet about nine months ago, according to data from the blockchain.

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No comments were made, no labels were placed — just a silent transfer that made the stash invisible to casual observers. It’s unclear whether that was a move for privacy, custody, or something else entirely.

Stage 1, as defined by L2BEAT, means that a network has finally adopted key safety measures. Now, there’s an upgrade delay, a security council with members beyond just insiders and, importantly, a way for a minority of the council to intervene if the sequencer begins censoring or malfunctions. In short, users now have a backup plan.

Previously, Starknet was in Stage 0 territory, where everything was based on trust in the developers.

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Next is Stage 2, which is the point of full decentralization in which no single team or council can change the rules, censor transactions, or freeze withdrawals. Currently, no one has reached this stage. But Starknet says it’s aiming to reach that point by early 2026.

Moreover, they are not limiting themselves to Ethereum. In the long term, they plan to bridge Ethereum and Bitcoin directly, making Starknet the first L2 to operate across both ecosystems. To back that vision, StarkWare, the core team, is already stacking ETH and BTC.