The Ethereum Foundation has announced a major internal change. On June 2, 2025, it rebranded its main technical unit from Protocol Research & Development to the simplified Ethereum Protocol team. This Ethereum restructure also included staff reductions.
The new team will now focus on three areas: Layer-1 scaling, expanding blobspace for rollups, and improving Ethereum user experience.
In the official announcement, the Foundation said the shift aims to streamline work as the blockchain scales.
The statement described the development process as difficult and unclear. “This process of ‘shipping protocol’ is messy, asking us to respond proactively to demands that are hard to articulate and even harder to fulfill,” the Foundation stated.
The Ethereum Foundation framed the restructure around the growing importance of zkEVM and Layer-2 tools.
These technologies are central to Ethereum’s roadmap for wider adoption and long-term use. However, the language used avoided giving specific projections or timeframes.
Core Developers Get New Roles After Ethereum Layoffs
The Ethereum layoffs followed the internal shake-up. The Foundation confirmed that “some members” of the original team are no longer with the organization. It did not give a number or list names.
Three Ethereum core developers—Tim Beiko, Alex Stokes, and Barnabé Monnot—will now work on the newly formed Ethereum Protocol team, each leading efforts in one of the three focus areas. Their assignments were made public in the same announcement.
The Ethereum Foundation described the new Protocol team as “a more united and leaner organization with more focused teams.”
However, it did not name any specific projects the restructured group will work on in the near term.
Ethereum Governance Changes Began in January
The June 2 Ethereum restructure follows earlier governance updates this year. In January, Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, introduced a new Ethereum leadership model.
That change emphasized technical management and closer ties with developer teams.
Soon after, internal debate emerged around the Foundation’s direction and transparency. These discussions led to further structural changes. In April, the Ethereum Foundation split its board and executive functions for the first time.
Two co-executive directors were named—Hsiao-Wei Wang, an Ethereum researcher, and Tomasz Stańczak, the CEO of blockchain infrastructure firm Nethermind. Their roles now include overseeing daily operations and project execution.
Under the updated Ethereum governance model, the board focuses on strategy and long-term vision.
The board includes Vitalik Buterin, who continues to guide direction. Meanwhile, the executive team handles day-to-day management across internal departments.
Protocol Team Will Focus on Base Layer and Scaling Work
According to the announcement, the new Ethereum Protocol team will manage projects directly tied to Ethereum’s base infrastructure.
These include Layer-1 scaling, expanding blobspace, and improving Ethereum user experience.
The reference to zkEVM and Layer-2 technologies signals the team’s technical focus. These tools aim to reduce transaction costs and improve throughput while keeping Ethereum decentralized.
The Foundation has not shared exact timelines or technical specifications. No public information has been given on how much funding the new Ethereum Protocol team will receive or how it will interact with outside developers.
Still, the changes show an effort to align internal structure with Ethereum’s evolving technical needs.
As rollups and scaling solutions continue to develop, the Ethereum Foundation appears to be shifting its focus inward to support core development.
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