Starknet Opens the Door to Leaving Ethereum for a Quantum-Safe L1

By Isaac • October 15, 2026 7:09 am •

Starknet is asking its token holders to consider a move that would have sounded almost unthinkable a year ago: leaving its role as an Ethereum layer 2 and becoming an independent layer 1.

The immediate issue is not fees, throughput or a token launch. It is quantum security—and who controls the timetable for getting there.

Cointelegraph reports that Starknet opened a seven-day, non-binding poll on October 15, asking whether the network should study independence as a way to control its post-quantum security timetable instead of waiting on Ethereum-dependent infrastructure. STRK holders can support further research, oppose it or remain neutral while more questions are answered about security, governance, validator design and the economic cost of becoming