Ethereum Foundation cuts 20% of staff amid leadership exodus
Key takeaways
- The layoffs, announced Tuesday in a blog post, conclude a months-long internal reorganization tied to the implementation of the Foundation’s updated mandate and treasury policy.
- The reduction follows a period of significant upheaval at the organization’s leadership level.
- While the EF shrinks, a separate ecosystem effort backed by some of Ethereum’s largest corporate holders is expanding.
A spate of senior leadership departures in recent months has raised questions about the Foundation's governance and execution.The cuts come as Ethereum's ecosystem evolves in different directions: while the foundation narrows its focus around core priorities and institutional engagement, major ETH treasury companies and co-founder Joseph Lubin are backing ETHLabs, a new initiative aimed at accelerating Ethereum development and adoption.The Ethereum Foundation is cutting roughly 20% of its workforce, eliminating 54 positions as part of a broad restructuring that comes amid sustained senior leadership turnover and growing fragmentation across the wider Ethereum ecosystem.
The layoffs, announced Tuesday in a blog post, conclude a months-long internal reorganization tied to the implementation of the Foundation’s updated mandate and treasury policy. The EF said the reduction leaves it “leaner and more focused,” with a structure aligned around what it described as the “critical tasks” needed to support Ethereum’s long-term development.
The reduction follows a period of significant upheaval at the organization’s leadership level. Co-executive director Hsiao-Wei Wang stepped down earlier this month, following the prior departure of co-executive director Tomasz Stańczak. Board member Bastian Aue has since assumed expanded responsibilities overseeing the transition and day-to-day operations.