Ethereum Foundation Faces Rising Wave of Departures

TLDR

Carl Beek and Julian Ma confirmed they will leave the Ethereum Foundation on Monday.
Their exits extend a broader wave of departures across key Ethereum initiatives.
Barnabé Monnot and Tim Beiko have also stepped back from protocol coordination roles.
Trent Van Epps and Alex Stokes announced separate departures and a sabbatical this year.
The Ethereum Foundation recently published a new mandate to clarify its role in the ecosystem.

The Ethereum Foundation faces renewed turnover as Carl Beek and Julian Ma confirmed their exits on Monday. Their departures extend a series of high-profile exits that have unsettled parts of the Ethereum community. The organization continues an internal transition while members question recent leadership and staffing changes.
Ethereum Foundation Sees Growing List of Exits
Carl Beek and Julian Ma announced they will leave the Ethereum Foundation on Monday, and their statements quickly circulated online. Their exits follow other departures that involved researchers and coordinators tied to Ethereum’s core work.
Barnabé Monnot and Tim Beiko have either stepped back or left roles linked to protocol coordination in recent months. Trent Van Epps also departed earlier this year after organizing Protocol Guild, which now operates independently. Alex Stokes announced a sabbatical earlier this month, and he confirmed the break in a public statement.
Community members raised concerns as the list of departures expanded across multiple initiatives. A pseudonymous X commentator, @DefiIgnas, asked why “so many people are leaving the Ethereum Foundation,” and the post gained wide attention. The Ethereum Foundation did not respond to requests for comment at the time of reporting.
The departures come as the nonprofit works to redefine its position within the Ethereum ecosystem. The organization supports research, development, and public goods for the blockchain network.
Internal Mandate and Leadership Changes Shape Transition
Earlier this year, the Ethereum Foundation published a new mandate that clarified its role in the ecosystem. The document stated that the foundation does not view itself as Ethereum’s “owner” or central authority. Instead, it described the foundation as one steward among many supporting long-term network health.
The mandate reaffirmed commitments to censorship resistance, open-source development, privacy, and security. It also signaled plans to reduce the foundation’s central role as the ecosystem matures.
Leadership changes accompanied this structural shift over the past year. Tomasz Stańczak joined as co-executive director in 2025 during a restructuring effort. He stepped down earlier this year after a short tenure in the role.
Stańczak joined alongside Hsiao-Wei Wang as part of a leadership update. The appointments followed criticism from parts of the community about transparency and execution speed. The foundation continues to operate while the new mandate guides its activities and staffing decisions.
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