Recent discussions in the blockchain community highlight a shift in the perception of protocol structures, with a focus on the decline of 'fat protocols' in favor of 'thin protocols.' This change is attributed to the rise of application-specific sequencing and chain abstraction, which may lead to a commoditization of the middle stack. Additionally, the Ethereum network is being compared to the initial architecture of Cosmos, indicating a fragmentation in application consolidation across various players. In a related development, Mint Blockchain, an Ethereum Layer 2 solution, has secured a $1.35 million grant from Optimism Governance to further its initiatives.