The Ethereum Foundation (EF) is currently changing its operational setup after several high-profile departures. Between February and May 2026, at least eight senior contributors and researchers left or stepped down from full-time roles. This list includes co-Executive Director Tomasz Stańczak and operations lead Josh Stark. Key protocol researchers Tim Beiko, Barnabé Monnot, Carl Beek, and Julian Ma also left. This concentration of exits has reshaped the discussion around the Ethereum identity. It sparks intense debate over whether the foundation’s ideological focus aligns with the economic needs of the asset.
The Tokenomics Debate: Laura Shin’s Critique
The structural discussion centers on how the network balances technical development with asset value. Crypto journalist Laura Shin recently noted a specific trend since the Cancun upgrade. She states that Ethereum’s core policy choices consistently lack sufficient consideration of token economics.
According to Shin, the foundation overemphasizes academic ideology while neglecting capital markets and price performance. She argues that this approach creates a distinct competitive disadvantage at a critical stage of real-world adoption. Competitors actively move to seize market share, developers, and capital.
A Structural Remedy: Dankrad Feist’s $1 Billion Proposal
The internal friction became visible when former EF core researcher Dankrad Feist criticized the current alignment of the foundation. Feist left his full-time role at the EF to join Tempo, a Layer 1 network. He highlighted a major structural limitation: the Ethereum Foundation currently holds less than 0.1% of all ETH. Furthermore, it receives no direct flow from staking or transaction fees.
To address this evolution of the Ethereum identity, Feist proposed a new, independent advocacy organization. His proposal includes specific structural requirements:
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Massive Capitalization: Founders should launch the new entity with at least $1 billion in funding.
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Sustainable Revenue: Ethereum staking income must directly supply part of the organization’s ongoing funding.
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Economic Alignment: An efficient leadership team must run the entity. The board must economically align with Ethereum and remain strictly accountable to the community.
Vitalik Buterin Responds: The Shifting Scope of the EF
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin clarified the foundation’s official stance following criticism over the talent drain and fund management. Buterin stated that the EF acts as just one node within the ecosystem rather than a centralized command center. He confirmed that the foundation currently holds only 0.16% of the total ETH supply.
Moving forward, the foundation is intentionally downplaying its centralized influence. It is shifting toward a low-profile, behind-the-scenes support role. The EF intends to focus its remaining resources strictly on core long-term infrastructure values. These values include censorship resistance, openness, privacy, and security. To drive commercial expansion and support ETH asset growth, Buterin and the foundation argue that the ecosystem must now rely on external collaborations and community-driven heroes.
What This Means for B2B Infrastructure
For institutional market participants, this reorganization does not signal a technical failure. Data from Token Terminal shows that the network maintains a stable baseline of 169 core developers despite the high-level personnel turbulence.
The transition reflects an intentional downsizing under the foundation’s new ‘Mandate’ framework. This framework aims to reduce direct centralized influence. As the foundation steps back, real-world development and commercial utility increasingly migrate to enterprise-grade Layer 2 networks. They also move to independent institutional custody frameworks, where managers value market predictability over foundational governance.
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