Arbitrum vs Optimism: Scaling and mindset after Superchain expansion

The combined Superchain TVL reached $4.8 billion after the recent migrations. Arbitrum holds a total value locked of $1.85 billion, and the development team, Offchain Labs, started the project in 2018. The founding team includes Ed Felten, Steven Goldfeder, and Harry Kalodner. Offchain Labs raised $3.7 million in a seed round in April 2019. The company later raised $100 million in a Series B round that valued the startup at $1.2 billion. The project launched a testnet in February 2020 and opened it to all participants in October 2020. The mainnet for developers arrived in May 2020, while the public mainnet opened in September 2021. The ecosystem contains protocols like GMX, Treasure, Camelot, Radiant Capital, and Vela Exchange. The Arbitrum Nitro protocol processes and settles transactions for the ecosystem. Arbitrum One functions as a public and permissionless optimistic rollup on top of Ethereum. However, the Arbitrum AnyTrust protocol relies on a permissioned set of parties called the Data Availability Committee, which requires certain trust assumptions.

Stylus and developer flexibility

Developers can now write smart contracts in Rust, C, and C++ through the Arbitrum Stylus programming solution. This solution provides EVM+ equivalence. The Arbitrum Stylus solution allows developers to deploy programs written in popular programming languages like Rust, C, and C++, and this provides a level of flexibility that differentiates its ecosystem from other existing Ethereum scaling solutions. The project also includes Arbitrum Orbit, which allows for the launch of customized L2 and L3 chains. You already know that most Ethereum developers use Solidity, but Stylus removes that single requirement. The Arbitrum DAO manages governance for the Arbitrum One and Arbitrum Nova networks. The Arbitrum project also includes investments in real-world asset protocols like AlloyX and cross-chain solutions like Espresso Systems. The 2023 ARB airdrop distributed tokens based on a points system that calculated historical user activity on Arbitrum One and Arbitrum Nova.

The psychology of the Optimism mindset

Optimism refers to the mindset of expecting positive and favorable outcomes. The term comes from the Latin "optimum," which means "best." Researchers study this through dispositional models and explanatory style models. Michael Scheier and Charles Carver created the eight-item Life Orientation Test in 1985 to assess dispositional optimism. This test evaluates if people expect beneficial or negative outcomes. Some researchers view optimism as synonymous with idealism, which can be seen as unrealistic or foolish. Optimism also relates to physical health. It explains between 5% and 10% of the variation in the likelihood of developing conditions like cardiovascular disease and depression. The Attributional Style Questionnaire uses six positive and negative events to test how people explain causes. This method distinguishes between internal versus external causes, stable versus changeable causes, and global versus local causes. Heritability of dispositional optimism is about 25 percent.

The Optimism brand focuses on the intersection of longevity science, culture, and mindset. Case Kenny serves as the Chief Optimist for this well-being platform. The company provides a newsletter called All Healthy to its 1.3 million readers. They also host the Super Age Games to measure cognitive fitness and physical performance. This platform aims to support the well-being journey of its community members. Victor Perton defines optimism as the belief that good things will happen and that things will work out in the end. Research regarding the relationship between optimism and health shows that optimists achieve faster results in behavioral milestones, such as sitting in bed or walking around, after surgery. The findings also indicate that optimists are rated by staff as having a more favorable physical recovery. Optimistic people also exhibit higher levels of resilience when they face stress.

Deciding the winner of the Superchain expansion

The combined Superchain TVL reached $4.8 billion after the recent migrations. Arbitrum leads the market in technical scaling and Ethereum compatibility. The Arbitrum One network holds the highest TVL among other Layer 2 ecosystems. The Optimism brand focuses on human well-being and the science of longevity. This brand provides programs like Mantra and the Optimism Cal Tri Series. The Optimism Cal Tri Series includes races across the country, ranging from Sprint and Olympic distances to SwimRun, RunBike, and 5Ks. Which side gains more users in the next year?