The Ethereum Foundation is under renewed pressure after two prominent contributors, Carl Beek and Julian Ma, said on Monday that they are leaving the organization. Their exits add to a string of departures that has unsettled parts of the Ethereum community over recent months.
The latest moves land at a sensitive moment for the nonprofit tied to the world’s second-largest blockchain. Community members have been asking why so many visible researchers, coordinators and ecosystem leaders have left the foundation in a relatively short period. The foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
More well-known names step back from core efforts
Beek and Ma follow several notable figures from different Ethereum Foundation initiatives who have either left or reduced their involvement. Barnabé Monnot and Tim Beiko are among the names that stand out, given their visibility in Ethereum’s core protocol coordination work.
Earlier this year, Trent Van Epps also departed after playing an important part in organizing Protocol Guild, the funding collective that later became an independent organization supporting Ethereum core developers. Separately, former Protocol co-lead Alex Stokes said earlier this month that he would be taking a sabbatical.
A widely shared post from pseudonymous X commentator @DefiIgnas sharpened the discussion by asking why “so many people are leaving the Ethereum Foundation.” The post echoed concerns already circulating across the community rather than creating them.
New mandate tries to narrow the foundation’s role
The turnover has unfolded alongside a broader internal transition. Earlier this year, the foundation published a new mandate meant to define its place in the Ethereum ecosystem more clearly. In that document, it said it does not view itself as Ethereum’s “owner” or a central authority, but as one steward among many working to support the network’s long-term health, research agenda and public goods.
The mandate also addressed growing debate over Ethereum’s direction, governance and institutional influence. It reaffirmed commitments to censorship resistance, open-source development, privacy and security, while also indicating that the foundation intends to reduce its own centrality over time as the ecosystem matures.
Leadership changes add to scrutiny over execution and direction
The organizational transition has been matched by leadership turnover. Tomasz Stańczak joined the Ethereum Foundation in 2025 as co-executive director during a wider restructuring effort, then stepped down earlier this year after a relatively short stint.
He had been brought in alongside Hsiao-Wei Wang after criticism grew inside parts of the Ethereum community over the foundation’s transparency, execution speed and broader strategic direction. With the list of departures still expanding, the debate over whether the foundation can adapt to a more decentralized Ethereum ecosystem remains active.