The Ethereum Foundation announced a sweeping leadership reshuffle on Monday, with longtime contributors Barnabé Monnot and Tim Beiko preparing to leave the organization, while Alex Stokes steps into a temporary sabbatical. Taking their place is a new trio of co-leads — Will Corcoran, Kev Wedderburn, and Fredrik — who will now oversee the Protocol division's daily operations and strategic direction.
Who Are the New Leaders?
Fredrik previously led security research, including the Trillion Dollar Security project aimed at safeguarding Ethereum's long-term infrastructure. Wedderburn heads zkEVM development tied directly to Ethereum's scaling roadmap. Corcoran has also contributed heavily to zkEVM and post-quantum security initiatives. The Foundation stated all three leaders had worked across multiple internal teams and research clusters before the appointment.
Upgrades on the Horizon: Glamsterdam and Hegotá
Corcoran confirmed on X that the Protocol cluster is entering a new chapter while continuing development linked to Glamsterdam, Hegotá, and the broader Strawmap roadmap. Glamsterdam aims to raise the gas limit floor to 200 million and introduce Enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation. The subsequent Hegotá upgrade will focus on censorship-resistance improvements, with developers set to roll out FOCIL prototypes to strengthen Ethereum's decentralized architecture.
Community Scrutiny and Talent Exodus
The overhaul comes after months of internal turbulence. Earlier this year, rumors circulated that some employees faced pressure to sign controversial loyalty pledges during restructuring discussions. Several high-profile developers have already left: Josh Stark departed last month; Tomasz K. Stańczak stepped down earlier this year shortly after becoming co-executive director. Others joined external blockchain projects like Tempo. Monnot indicated his future interests may lean more toward product-focused Ethereum development, aiming to make Ethereum's features more accessible for users and builders across different ecosystems.
What This Means for Ethereum's Future
The Protocol division coordinates research, cryptography, security, scaling infrastructure, and AllCoreDevs operations. With blockchain competition intensifying, this leadership transition could significantly influence Ethereum's next development cycle. While senior contributors exit, the Foundation continues prioritizing scaling, security, and censorship resistance ahead of future network upgrades.