The Ethereum Foundation (EF) has restructured its core development division, slashing select staff amid plans to refine its ecosystem development.
The move marks its most significant internal shift since announcing a co-executive leadership model three months ago.
Ethereum Foundation Trims Staff to Refocus Development
SponsoredIn an update released Monday, the EF said it had renamed its Protocol Research & Development (PR&D) team “Protocol.” Further, it had parted ways with several contributors or staff.
These moves come as part of a broader reorganization. The Foundation aims to sharpen its focus on Layer 1 (L1) scaling, blob efficiency, and user experience (UX).
The restructured team will operate under three strategic initiatives: scaling Ethereum’s L1, improving data throughput via blobs, and enhancing UX.
According to the EF, these areas represent the fronts with the highest impact on delivering Ethereum’s long-term vision.
“This moment may be Ethereum’s best shot at deploying not only our technology, but our values, at planetary scale… To support this vision, we are making changes to the way that we operate,” the EF stated in its announcement.
The EF did not specify how many roles were eliminated. However, the update acknowledged that “some members of PR&D will not be continuing with the Ethereum Foundation.”
Veteran contributors have remained within the organization. Some of them include Tim Beiko, Alex Stokes, and Barnabé Monnot, key figures in previous network upgrades like The Merge and Dencun.
Sponsored SponsoredHowever, they have taken on new leadership roles aligned with the Foundation’s streamlined mission.
“We’re hopeful that this new structure will empower our internal teams to focus more clearly and drive key initiatives forward…Saying goodbye to talented and dedicated colleagues is heartbreaking. This decision does not reflect their value or contributions,” wrote Hsiao-Wei Wang, Ethereum researcher and core contributor.
The announcement comes three months after the Ethereum Foundation transitioned to a co-executive leadership structure. As BeInCrypto reported, the move came amid efforts to improve accountability and responsiveness across its programs.
During that period, EF also launched the Silviculture Society, a transparency initiative designed to improve governance and community engagement.
A Leaner, Sharper Ethereum Protocol Team
SponsoredThe renamed “Protocol” unit will now function with tighter coordination and clearer lines of responsibility.
Specifically, Tim Beiko and Ansgar Dietrichs will lead L1 scaling efforts while Alex Stokes and Francesco D’Amato will oversee L2 blob scaling. Meanwhile, Barnabé Monnot and Josh Rudolf will drive UX enhancements and Dankrad Feist will act as a strategic advisor across all areas.
EF emphasized that the Protocol team is doubling down on areas where it has unmatched expertise in the ecosystem. These include writing mission-critical code, coordinating large-scale upgrades, and producing foundational research.
The Foundation noted that successful execution will rely on a more integrated loop between research, prototyping, and production. This update arrives as Ethereum continues its technical growth, including the recent Pectra upgrade.
While Pectra enhanced validator efficiency, wallet usability, and transaction throughput, it has also raised concerns. BeInCrypto reported associated phishing risks and crypto theft.
Sponsored Sponsored“Ethereum’s Pectra Upgrade is Under Attack! EIP-7702, meant to simplify wallet use in the Pectra upgrade, is being hijacked by bots. Wintermute found 80%+ of delegations are feeding one malicious script. One victim already lost $150K to a phishing attack. Is UX worth the security risk?” Coin Bureau posed.
The next major upgrade, Fusaka, is expected to introduce Peer Data Availability Sampling (PeerDAS), a key milestone in the network’s scaling roadmap.
Meanwhile, the EF has taken a more active role in decentralized finance (DeFi). It uses DeFi protocols like Aave, Spark, and Compound to generate yield and diversify its treasury management without large ETH sales.
Sponsored SponsoredThis shift signals a growing sophistication in how the Foundation manages its assets amid increased community scrutiny.
BeInCrypto data shows ETH was trading for $2,615 as of this writing, up by nearly 5% in the last 24 hours.
