Ethereum core developer departs, blames Ethereum Foundation leadership

On January 21, Ethereum core developer Eric Conner announced his departure from the community, citing his discontent with the Ethereum Foundation (EF) leadership decisions. The announcement came after co-founder Vitalik Buterin dismissed calls for a shakeup in the current leadership and claimed sole authority over the organization. 

Conner, who called the foundation a “leftist driven, anti-winning swamp,” made his farewell announcement on the X social media platform (formerly Twitter) early Tuesday.

I am no longer a dot eth

Perhaps some day those in leadership roles will realign with the community but for now, I am out

Deep down, I truly hope Ethereum succeeds

Good luck

— Eric Conner (@econoar) January 21, 2025

On January 18, Vitalik Buterin acknowledged the need for “large changes” in leadership. Critics are now calling for the organization’s executive director, Aya Miyaguchi, to resign, claiming that she lacks the qualifications for the job.

Conner took a dig at the director, saying that the foundation was “cooked” if it will not let go of Miyaguchi “because people are being mean to her.”

Buterin defended Miyaguchi and criticized the community’s discontent, describing it as an “attempted scapegoat attack.”

Former Ethereum dev commits to AI 

In another post on X, Conner said that he was stepping away from Ethereum to focus on artificial intelligence and its intersection with blockchain technology. 

“Right now, I’ve realized my passion clearly lies in the potential for crypto and AI. In fact, I would say crypto is necessary for a future that involves open, trustworthy, and fair AI in which humans do not lose agency.” 

The former Ethereum developer also indicated that his work will begin with Freysa AI, but he expressed an openness to collaborating with others in the space. “The importance of getting this right is above any specific chain or person,” he stated.

Vitalik Buterin defends Ethereum Foundation leadership decisions 

On social media, Buterin has repeatedly disputed calls for Miyaguchi’s resignation, saying that the community was being fairly unreasonable and creating a “toxic environment” for talents in the organization.

 “The person deciding the new EF leadership team is me. One of the goals of the ongoing reform is to give the EF a ‘proper board,’ but until that happens, it’s me.” 

In a January 18 post, Buterin told his followers on X that changes to the foundation’s leadership structure were already in progress, and it would bring in new talent to enhance the blockchain network’s efficiency and speed.

We are indeed currently in the process of large changes to EF leadership structure, which has been ongoing for close to a year. Some of this has already been executed on and made public, and some is still in progress.

What we're trying to achieve is primarily the following…

— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) January 18, 2025

The Russian-born programmer then said that the foundation would not lobby regulators, warning that such actions could jeopardize Ethereum’s neutrality as a global platform. 

“These things aren’t what EF does and this isn’t going to change. People seeking a different vision are welcome to start their own orgs,” he asserted.

Ethereum Foundation’s 2024 budget report ignites concerns 

In another development, several analysts have scruitinized the Ethereum Foundation’s 2024 budget report over expenditure and money allocation.

Aave CEO, Stani Kulechov, wrote a detailed critique of Ethereum Foundation’s 2024 budget report on X. He offered several suggestions on how the organization can grow its sustainability. 

In his post, Kulechov proposed reducing the Ethereum Foundation’s annual expenses from $130 million to $30 million and cutting its staff to 80 members, with 80% of those being technical roles. He also urged the entity to eliminate part-time roles, advisory positions, and any potential conflicts of interest. 

The CEO further recommended decentralizing treasury management and establishing a sustainable revenue model from transaction or staking fees.

“Ethereum can do more with an efficient and sustainable foundation that fuels the ecosystem and empowers all the successful applications on Ethereum, which is mainly DeFi, for now,” he noted.

According to Buterin, Ethereum has been hesitant to fully use its DeFi staking network, fearing it may violate regulations and fail to uphold its neutrality standards. But the Ethereum Foundation leader recently said that the network is willing to “use the tools” in its ecosystem.

“Though we should of course do this very judiciously,” he proposed. 

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