Analysis
The statement aligns with Buterin's long-standing advocacy for Layer 2 scaling solutions, particularly rollups, to address Ethereum's scalability issues. In the 2020 AMA, he explicitly emphasized the necessity of transitioning to a rollup-centric model for the foreseeable future. This position has been consistently reiterated in subsequent Ethereum roadmap discussions.
Background
Rollups are a Layer 2 scaling solution that execute transactions off-chain and post compressed data to Ethereum, reducing congestion and fees. Buterin has repeatedly highlighted rollups as a key part of Ethereum's scalability strategy, alongside other upgrades like sharding and proto-danksharding.
Verdict summary
Vitalik Buterin did state in a 2020 Reddit AMA that Ethereum would need to adopt a rollup-centric approach.