Optimism is an Ethereum Layer 2 scaling solution and Public Benefit Corporation (OP Labs PBC) dedicated to expanding Ethereum’s technology and values. The project began in 2019 as a research effort by the non-profit Plasma Group, which later pivoted to focus on Optimistic Rollups to address demand for faster, cheaper Ethereum transactions.

By late 2021, Optimism launched its OP Mainnet, providing an EVM-equivalent environment for deploying Ethereum applications. In early 2022, it introduced the Optimism Collective, a unique governance structure composed of a Token House and a Citizens’ House to oversee protocol upgrades and fund public goods using protocol revenue.

As part of its restructuring, Optimism split into two entities: OP Labs PBC, the core development team, and the Optimism Foundation, a non-profit steward of governance. Jinglan Wang transitioned to lead the Foundation, while Liam Horne became CEO of OP Labs.

Optimism's rollup architecture bundles off-chain transactions and submits proofs to Ethereum, significantly reducing fees and latency while inheriting Ethereum’s security guarantees. In June 2023, the platform launched the Bedrock upgrade, reducing costs and establishing the OP Stack — a modular, open-source framework for building Layer 2 chains.

This modular design laid the groundwork for the Superchain, a unified network of OP Stack-based chains including Coinbase’s Base. By 2024, Optimism had become one of Ethereum's most used scaling solutions, powering a growing ecosystem of DeFi, NFT, and gaming apps.

OP Labs has raised a total of $178.5 million in venture capital, including a $3.5M seed round, a $25M Series A, and a $150M Series B led by a16z and Paradigm. The company is headquartered in New York City’s Financial District and operates remotely.

Committed to its mission of public good funding, Optimism has distributed millions through its Retroactive Public Goods Funding program and continues to play a leading role in Ethereum's scaling roadmap.