The Ethereum Foundation is facing renewed scrutiny after two more prominent contributors, Carl Beek and Julian Ma, announced they are exiting the organization on Monday, extending a wave of departures that has rattled parts of the Ethereum community over the past few months.
Market Context
Ethereum represents the world's second-largest blockchain by market capitalization, serving as the backbone for thousands of decentralized applications and protocols. The foundation's internal turmoil unfolds against a backdrop of intensifying competition from alternative layer-1 blockchains and ongoing debates about Ethereum's scalability and governance structure.
Analysis
The latest exits come amid broader questions about turnover inside the nonprofit that helps steward Ethereum. Community members have increasingly asked why so many high-profile researchers, coordinators and ecosystem leaders have left the foundation in recent months. The departures of Beek and Ma follow a series of notable exits from the foundation's various initiatives.
Among those who have either left or stepped back are Barnabé Monnot and Tim Beiko, two of the most recognizable figures involved in Ethereum's core protocol coordination. Trent Van Epps, who played a key role organizing Protocol Guild—the funding collective that has since evolved into an independent organization supporting Ethereum core developers—also departed earlier this year. Alex Stokes, the former co-lead of the Protocol initiative, separately announced earlier this month that he would be taking a sabbatical.
The turnover coincides with a broader internal transition following the publication of a new mandate earlier this year aimed at more clearly defining the foundation's role within the Ethereum ecosystem. The document emphasized that the foundation does not see itself as Ethereum's 'owner' or central authority, but rather as one of many stewards responsible for supporting the network's long-term health, research and public goods.
The organizational transition has also coincided with leadership turnover. Tomasz Stańczak, who joined the Ethereum Foundation in 2025 as co-executive director during a broader restructuring effort, stepped down earlier this year after a relatively short tenure. He had been brought in alongside Hsiao-Wei Wang following mounting criticism from parts of the community over the foundation's transparency, pace of execution and overall strategic direction.
Key Numbers
- Multiple high-profile departures: Carl Beek, Julian Ma, Barnabé Monnot, Tim Beiko, Trent Van Epps
- At least one sabbatical announced by former Protocol co-lead Alex Stokes
- Leadership change in 2025 brought in co-executive director Stańczak before his departure earlier this year
What to Watch
Whether additional key contributors announce their departures in the coming weeks. Community response and debate over Ethereum governance structures will likely intensify as the foundation attempts to redefine its role in an increasingly decentralized ecosystem. The implementation of the foundation's new mandate, which signals gradual reduction of organizational centrality as the ecosystem matures.
The foundation did not immediately return a request for comment on the departures.