The Ethereum Foundation has finished a months-long reorganization that cuts roughly 20% of its workforce, with 54 employees set to leave. The foundation said the changes are tied to its Mandate and Treasury Management Policy and are meant to align staffing, spending, and operations with work it sees as critical in the years ahead.
Five main clusters now define the foundation’s structure
Under the new setup, the organization is built around five primary work clusters: protocol, access, user, community, and institutional. It also created an operations cluster and a management-focused group. The foundation said each cluster has its own responsibilities and performance goals.
The protocol cluster is focused on Ethereum’s core technology, including protocol upgrades, scaling work, privacy efforts, security research, and transaction infrastructure. The access cluster is centered on how people interact with Ethereum, covering transactions, verification tools, delegation systems, and user control mechanisms.
User research, public engagement, and institutional outreach split into separate tracks
The user cluster is tasked with examining how individuals and organizations use Ethereum. It will also handle educational materials, user research, and impact evaluation. The community cluster is responsible for public engagement and for maintaining relationships with groups working in open-source software, privacy, cryptography, and civil liberties.
The institutional cluster will work with enterprises, governments, universities, nonprofits, and financial institutions. According to the foundation, that includes standards, educational resources, policy engagement, and adoption frameworks. The structure separates technical delivery from ecosystem-facing work, but keeps both inside the same overhaul.
Departing staff to receive severance and transition support
As part of the reorganization, 54 people will leave the foundation. It described the decisions as difficult but necessary under the revised structure. Severance will be paid at either one month of salary for each year worked or according to local legal requirements.
The organization also said it will provide transition support, including help finding new roles inside the Ethereum ecosystem and grants to cover career-related expenses. The foundation added that many departing employees may continue contributing to Ethereum through other ecosystem organizations in the coming weeks.