What is Optimism (OP)?
Optimism (OP) is an Ethereum Layer 2 network that processes transactions off the main chain to cut fees, and OP is its governance token.
Optimism batches transactions outside Ethereum mainnet and posts only the resulting data back to mainnet, using Ethereum's security while lowering user fees. Optimism's design is an 'optimistic rollup', the same family of technology that Arbitrum uses.
Optimism is developed mainly by OP Labs, with the Optimism Foundation supporting the wider ecosystem. Optimism has set itself apart from other L2s through a public-goods funding philosophy and its 'Superchain' vision rather than aiming to be a single chain.
What are the OP Stack and the Superchain?
Optimism's OP Stack is open-source standard code that lets anyone launch their own L2. Optimism's goal is a 'Superchain' in which chains built on the OP Stack connect and behave like one network.
Optimism's Superchain has included OP Mainnet alongside chains such as World Chain, Unichain and Zora. Optimism's strategy is to be not one chain but a standard shared by many L2s.
Optimism lost its largest member when Coinbase's Base announced in a February 2026 blog post that it would leave the Superchain and move to its own Base-operated stack. For Optimism, the Base departure is widely seen as a major change to both the scale and the revenue model of the Superchain plan.
What is Optimism's RetroPGF?
Optimism's Retroactive Public Goods Funding (RetroPGF) rewards developers and projects after the fact, based on the impact of work they have already delivered to the ecosystem.
Optimism uses RetroPGF to apply the principle that useful work should be rewarded later, directing funds to public goods such as open-source tooling and infrastructure. Optimism's public-goods philosophy is often cited as a core part of its identity among L2s.
What is the OP token used for?
Optimism's OP token is not used for gas, which is paid in ETH; OP is a governance token for deciding how the network is run. Optimism governs through the two-house Optimism Collective, made up of the Token House and the Citizens' House, which sets funding allocation and upgrade direction.
Optimism's initial total OP supply was set at 4,294,967,296 tokens according to the project's official docs. OP was first distributed through an airdrop in 2022.
Optimism governance approved a plan in a January 28, 2026 vote to put 50% of net Superchain sequencer revenue toward OP buybacks over a 12-month pilot, as reported by CoinDesk in January 2026. Optimism's buyback decision is seen as an attempt to tie OP more directly to network usage.
What is on Optimism's roadmap?
Optimism's roadmap focuses on making the Superchain actually work as one network. Optimism has named fast cross-chain interoperability for messages and assets, stronger decentralized fraud proofs, and onboarding more chains to the Superchain as key priorities.
Optimism has introduced permissionless fault proofs on OP Mainnet, letting anyone take part in challenging invalid state and advancing its decentralization. Optimism's stated aim is a Superchain of many L2s connected smoothly.
What are the risks of Optimism?
Optimism's central debate is whether the value of network growth actually accrues to the OP token. Optimism faced sharper scrutiny after Base announced in February 2026 that it would leave the Superchain and stop sharing revenue, removing the chain that had supplied most of the Collective's revenue.
Optimism also faces competition from Arbitrum and other L2s, the possibility that more chains leave the OP Stack, and circulating supply growth from token unlocks. This article is for information only and is not investment advice; always make investment decisions at your own responsibility.
