Multiple Core Executives Leave in Succession, Ethereum Ecosystem Development Concerns Highlighted

marsbitPublished on 2026-05-21Last updated on 2026-05-21

Abstract

Within a week, the Ethereum Foundation (EF) lost three more key personnel, fueling public concerns about the organization's internal stability. Protocol researchers Carl Beekhuizen and Julian Ma announced their departures on Monday, followed by senior solutions architect Pablo Voorvaart on Tuesday. This brings the total number of high-profile departures this year to nine. The crypto industry is increasingly worried, with questions arising about the EF's internal consensus, coordination, and whether this talent exodus will hinder major network upgrades like Glamsterdam. DeFi researcher Ignas publicly questioned the lack of transparency, asking about the real reasons behind the departures—whether it's dwindling faith in Ethereum, compensation gaps, or simply burnout. Community reactions are mixed. Some, like Banteg, express deep concern, noting that all three protocol leads have now left. Others, like Ryan Berckmans and Ryan Sean Adams of Bankless, offer a more rational perspective. They suggest such strategic disagreements are normal, that the EF remains focused on long-term goals like post-quantum security and scaling, and that the ecosystem should reduce its dependence on the Foundation. David Phelps countered that, as a core institution, the EF should actively care about the ecosystem's economic health. This wave of departures follows earlier signs of turmoil. Former co-Executive Director Tomasz Stańczak left in February, and a controversial move in March requiring staff...

​Authored by: Aakash Girimath

Compiled by: Saoirse, Foresight News

This week, the Ethereum Foundation (EF) lost three more core senior personnel. This wave of large-scale departures has increasingly led to public questioning regarding the internal stability of the organization. Protocol researcher Carl Beekhuizen and Julian Ma announced their resignations on Monday, followed by senior solution architect Pablo Voorvaart, who formally departed on Tuesday.

The number of personnel departures this year has reached nine, causing significant concern across the crypto industry. Industry insiders are questioning the Ethereum Foundation's internal consensus and coordination capabilities, while also worrying that this brain drain of core talent may hinder the advancement and implementation of key network upgrades like Glamsterdam.

DeFi researcher Ignas voiced the community's sentiment on social platform X, criticizing the foundation's lack of transparency: "What is happening inside the Ethereum Foundation? How many more unreported departures are there? What are the real reasons behind them? Do professionals no longer see promise in the Ethereum ecosystem, is the industry salary gap too large, or is the team burned out? The public wants to know the truth."

Polarized Community Reaction: Concern vs. Rational Calm

Many within the Ethereum community are deeply concerned about the negative impacts of these core departures. Community figure Banteg bluntly stated that all three protocol leads at the Ethereum Foundation have now left, sharing an annotated internal organizational chart to illustrate the situation.

However, many practitioners are taking a calm view of these personnel changes, even suggesting the Ethereum ecosystem should reduce its reliance on the Ethereum Foundation. Community investor Ryan Berckmans believes differing opinions within the team regarding development strategies and institutional planning are normal. The Ethereum Foundation remains focused on the ecosystem's long-term development, emphasizing post-quantum security technology and on-chain scaling. This turnover, he suggests, is merely a normal and healthy transition of fresh blood replacing veterans in the industry, and not a cause for excessive panic.

Similarly, Bankless's Ryan Sean Adams stated that the Ethereum community cannot solely depend on the Ethereum Foundation. He believes the market needs organizations dedicated to driving up the value of ETH assets, willing to speak out and execute decisively—something the Ethereum Foundation has consistently failed to do and is unlikely to change in the future.

David Phelps offered a different perspective, arguing this view is unreasonable: just as a head of state cannot ignore national economic and livelihood issues, as a core institution of the industry ecosystem, the Ethereum Foundation should prioritize the overall economic health and market development of the ecosystem.

Large-Scale Brain Drain Appears to be an Established Trend

This concentrated wave of departures was foreshadowed. In February of this year, former Ethereum Foundation co-Executive Director Tomasz Stańczak formally stepped down. The Ethereum Foundation has been mired in internal turmoil throughout 2024, with many core industry practitioners dissatisfied with its management style and full of doubts about the future direction of the Ethereum public chain. Tomasz Stańczak had, for a time, stabilized the situation and reversed the Foundation's decline during his tenure.

In March, the Ethereum Foundation requested all employees to sign the Cypherpunk Manifesto, sparking strong dissatisfaction across the online community. Under immense public pressure, the Foundation ultimately rescinded this controversial requirement.

Apart from the recent departures, several veteran core members had already left earlier this year. These include P2P Network Lead Raúl Kripalani, Operations Lead Josh Stark, Protocol Guild Founder Trent Van Epps, and Protocol Cluster Leads Barnabé Monnot and Tim Beiko. Another senior member, Alex Stokes, remains with the Foundation but is currently on planned leave.

All these departing individuals have years of deep involvement in the Ethereum ecosystem, holding significant industry experience and technical resources. Among them, Carl Beekhuizen served the Foundation for seven years, deeply involved in the early construction of the Beacon Chain and the design of the KZG ceremony; Julian Ma served for four years, leading the writing of the anti-censorship protocol FOCIL (EIP-7805) and spearheading the implementation of the 13-second block finality rule; Pablo Voorvaart, with four years of dedicated service, was fully responsible for the operations of the core teams behind the Ethereum Developer Conference Devcon and the Application Scenario Lab.

The Ethereum Foundation confirmed in its latest protocol update that the Glamsterdam testnet is now officially live, and preparations for the next Hegotà network upgrade are progressing steadily.

Related Questions

QHow many core Ethereum Foundation (EF) executives left their positions recently, and what is the total number of departures this year as mentioned in the article?

ARecently, three core Ethereum Foundation executives left: protocol researchers Carl Beekhuizen and Julian Ma, and senior solutions architect Pablo Voorvaart. The total number of departures mentioned for this year is nine, with a tenth senior member, Alex Stokes, currently on planned leave.

QWhat are the two primary concerns raised by the crypto community regarding the Ethereum Foundation's internal situation?

AThe crypto community's primary concerns are questioning the Ethereum Foundation's internal consensus and coordination capabilities, and worrying that this exodus of core talent will hinder the progress of network upgrades like Glamsterdam and future projects.

QAccording to the article, what contrasting viewpoints do Ryan Berckmans and Ryan Sean Adams (from Bankless) have about the Ethereum Foundation's role?

ARyan Berckmans views the personnel changes as a normal, healthy transition of new blood replacing veterans, and believes the EF is still focused on long-term ecosystem development like post-quantum security and on-chain scaling. In contrast, Ryan Sean Adams argues the Ethereum community should not overly rely on the EF, stating the market needs organizations more aggressively focused on driving ETH's value, which the EF has not and likely will not do.

QWhat controversial internal action did the Ethereum Foundation take in March, as described in the article?

AIn March, the Ethereum Foundation required all employees to sign the Cypherpunk Manifesto, which sparked strong public backlash from the community. Due to the significant pressure, the Foundation ultimately revoked this requirement.

QWhat significant contributions did the recently departed executives Carl Beekhuizen and Julian Ma make to the Ethereum ecosystem?

ACarl Beekhuizen, who worked at the EF for seven years, was deeply involved in the early construction of the Beacon Chain and the design of the KZG ceremony. Julian Ma, who was there for four years, led the authorship of the anti-censorship protocol FOCIL (EIP-7805) and spearheaded the implementation of the 13-second block fast confirmation rule.

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