The Ethereum Foundation is dealing with two more departures after researchers Carl Beek and Julian Ma said they are leaving the organization. Beek’s final day is set for May 29, while Ma said he is exiting after about four years. Their announcements land at a time when the foundation is already reshaping roles around its Protocol Cluster and pushing ahead with major roadmap items.
Carl Beek departs after seven years of Beacon Chain research
Beek said on X that he will leave the Ethereum Foundation on May 29. He spent seven years at the organization and worked on core Ethereum research, including the Beacon Chain. That work formed part of the research base behind Ethereum’s transition from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake.
In his message, Beek thanked Ethereum researchers, core developers, EF staff, and community members. He wrote, “To every researcher, core dev, EFer, and community member, whether we worked together closely or not: thank you.” He also said Ethereum’s strength remains with the people building it.
Beek did not name a next role. He said he and his wife recently welcomed a child and that he plans to spend time with his family before deciding what comes next.
Julian Ma highlights FOCIL and faster confirmations
Ma also announced his departure on X. He said his work at the Ethereum Foundation covered mechanism design, cryptoeconomics, and protocol scaling. Among the efforts he pointed to were FOCIL, also known as EIP-7805, and the Fast Confirmation Rule.
FOCIL is aimed at improving censorship resistance. The proposal focuses on inclusion lists, which are designed to make it harder for block builders or validators to leave transactions out. Ma also said the Fast Confirmation Rule cut bridging time between Ethereum Layer 2 networks and the mainnet to 13 seconds, a change tied to how quickly users can move assets or messages across Ethereum-connected systems.
Broader Protocol Cluster reshuffle remains underway
The two exits come alongside other personnel changes linked to the Protocol Cluster. Barnabé Monnot has also posted about his transition, Tim Beiko is moving on from his foundation role, and Alex Stokes is taking a sabbatical.
The Ethereum Foundation confirmed the wider Protocol Cluster changes in a May 11 update. In that note, the foundation said Monnot and Beiko would be moving on soon, while Stokes would go on sabbatical. It also named Will Corcoran, Kev Wedderburn, and Fredrik as the new Protocol Cluster leads.
Roadmap items stay active as staffing shifts
Ethereum’s development agenda is still centered on Glamsterdam, Hegotá, FOCIL, and the broader scaling roadmap. Earlier coverage said the Glamsterdam devnet is already live, while FOCIL, Verkle Trees, and account-abstraction upgrades have been folded into the Hegotá roadmap.
The staff departures do not halt that work. Even so, the changes put more attention on how the foundation keeps research and protocol development moving while experienced contributors leave and new leads take over coordination duties.