Multiple core executives depart consecutively, highlighting latent concerns over Ethereum ecosystem development
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Multiple core executives depart consecutively, highlighting latent concerns over Ethereum ecosystem development
At least nine researchers have already left the Ethereum Foundation by 2026.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsBy Aakash Girimath
Translated by Saoirse, Foresight News
Within this week, the Ethereum Foundation (EF) lost three more core senior staff members—a wave of departures that has increasingly drawn public scrutiny over the organization’s internal stability. Protocol researchers Carl Beekhuizen and Julian Ma announced their resignations on Monday, followed closely by Senior Solutions Architect Pablo Voorvaart, who officially stepped down on Tuesday.
This brings the total number of high-profile departures from the EF this year to nine—raising widespread concern across the crypto industry. Insiders are questioning the EF’s internal consensus-building and coordination capacity, while also worrying that this exodus of key talent could impede the rollout of upcoming network upgrades such as Glamsterdam.
Ignas, a DeFi researcher, voiced community sentiment directly on X (formerly Twitter), criticizing the EF’s lack of transparency: “What is actually happening inside the Ethereum Foundation? How many more departures remain unannounced? What are the real reasons behind them—loss of confidence in the Ethereum ecosystem, widening salary disparities across the industry, or sheer burnout among team members? The public deserves answers.”
Community Sentiment Splits: Panic and Concern vs. Calm Rationality
Many Ethereum community practitioners express deep concern over the negative implications of these high-level exits. Prominent community figure Banteg bluntly stated that all three of the EF’s top protocol leads have now departed—and even shared an internal organizational chart annotated with the names of those who have left, underscoring the scale of the situation.
Yet others view the personnel changes more calmly—even arguing that the Ethereum ecosystem should reduce its dependence on the EF. Community investor Ryan Berckmans contends that strategic and institutional disagreements within teams are normal. He notes that the EF remains focused on Ethereum’s long-term ecosystem development, particularly advancing post-quantum security and on-chain scaling. In his view, this round of turnover represents a healthy, natural transition where new blood replaces seasoned veterans—no cause for alarm.
Similarly, Bankless’ Ryan Sean Adams argues that the Ethereum community must not rely solely on the EF. He believes the market needs an industry organization that actively champions ETH’s asset value, speaks out boldly, and executes decisively—qualities he says the EF has consistently lacked and is unlikely to adopt in the future.
David Phelps offers a contrasting perspective, calling such thinking unreasonable: “Just as a head of state cannot ignore national economic and livelihood issues, the EF—as the core institution of the ecosystem—must pay close attention to the broader economic health and market dynamics of the entire ecosystem.”
Mass Talent Exodus Has Become an Established Trend
This concentrated wave of departures had been foreshadowed earlier this year. In February, Tomasz Stańczak, former Co-Executive Director of the Ethereum Foundation, officially stepped down. Throughout 2024, the EF has remained mired in internal turbulence, with numerous core industry practitioners expressing dissatisfaction with its management model and growing uncertainty about Ethereum’s future direction. During Stańczak’s tenure, however, he managed to stabilize the situation and reverse the EF’s downward momentum.
In March, the EF asked all employees to sign a “Cypherpunk Manifesto”—a move that triggered strong backlash across the broader community. Under immense public pressure, the EF ultimately rescinded the requirement.
Beyond the recent departures, several veteran core members had already left earlier this year—including Raúl Kripalani (Head of P2P Networking), Josh Stark (Head of Operations), Trent Van Epps (Founder of the Protocol Guild), and Barnabé Monnot and Tim Beiko (Heads of the Protocol Cluster). A tenth senior leader, Alex Stokes, remains at the EF but is currently on planned leave.
These departing individuals have spent years deeply embedded in the Ethereum ecosystem, possessing vast technical expertise and critical industry resources. Carl Beekhuizen served at the EF for seven years and played a central role in early Beacon Chain development and the design of the KZG ceremony; Julian Ma served for four years, leading the drafting of the censorship-resistant protocol FOCIL (EIP-7805) and spearheading implementation of the 13-second block finality rule; Pablo Voorvaart worked at the EF for four years, overseeing operations for both Devcon—the Ethereum Developer Conference—and the Applications Lab.
In its latest protocol update, the Ethereum Foundation confirmed that the Glamsterdam testnet has officially gone live, and preparations for the next network upgrade, Hegotà, are progressing steadily.
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