The Lightning Network, a layer-2 solution for Bitcoin, has been both praised and criticized in recent times. Fiatjaf, the founder of Nostr, has publicly criticized the Lightning Network, calling it a scam [dab939e0]. This criticism has led to some Bitcoin developers gradually leaving the network, raising concerns about its complexity and security. Two developers have already announced their departure from Lightning Network-related work [dab939e0]. Despite these challenges, the Lightning Network has experienced significant growth. Routed transactions on the Lightning Network have increased by 1,212% from August 2021 to August 2023, defying Bitcoin's overall trend [7471cce5]. The volume on the Lightning Network has also surged, with an increase of 546% in terms of U.S. dollars and 874% in terms of Bitcoin [7471cce5]. The network is being used for micropayments, with 25% of all network activity occurring between 1-10 sats ($0.0002) [7471cce5]. The success of the Lightning Network can be attributed to the use of custodial wallets and the activity of users on Nostr [7471cce5]. However, non-custodial solutions have been slow to market in the Lightning Network [7471cce5]. Despite the controversy and challenges, there is hope that investors will continue to support the developer base working on Lightning [7471cce5].