Co-founder Vitalik Buterin is leading the charge in the Ethereum Foundation, as after nearly a year of planning, the EF is revamping its leadership to boost efficiency, enhance technical know-how, and better align with the needs of the Ethereum community.
Rejuvenating the old system
On January 18, Buterin took to X to announce these updates. He emphasized that the restructuring aims to fill gaps in technical expertise within the foundation’s leadership and streamline operations.
Some changes are already in motion, while others are still in the pipeline.
The primary goals of this leadership shake-up include elevating technical skills within the EF team, improving communication between leaders and the community as well as bringing in fresh talent to support app developers.
New persons, new rules?
Buterin made it clear that this isn’t about steering away from Ethereum’s core values of neutrality and decentralization. No lobbying for powerful interests here, except in case of turning back the whole blockchain like in case of the DAO hack, of course.
Or switching to stakeholder proof-of-stake voting. Or forcing nodes to update their code to being allowed to participate on the network.
But in other cases, he reassured everyone that the foundation won’t become a centralized entity or compromise Ethereum’s status as a global neutral platform.
Joseph Lubin, another co-founder, suggested a dual leadership model to guide the foundation through this new phase.
He proposed names like Ethereum developer Danny Ryan and Jérôme de Tychey, president of Ethereum France, as potential leaders.
Lubin believes that combining technical and business expertise will inject new energy and creativity into the foundation.
In his own words on X, Lubin said this dual approach could lead to fresh talent and innovative marketing strategies, as he’s convinced that this new structure is important for Ethereum’s success.
Money talks
Ethereum Foundation is also addressing some financial controversies. Lately, it sold 100 ETH, bringing its total sales for the year to 200 ETH.
This sparked debates among community members about whether selling or staking ETH would be more beneficial for long-term sustainability.
Buterin acknowledged the criticism surrounding these sales, explaining that regulatory concerns influenced their decision.
While he’s open to exploring staking options in the future, he stressed that maintaining neutrality remains a top priority for the EF.
