Aya Miyaguchi steps down as Ethereum Foundation executive director, becomes president

Ethereum Foundation Executive Director Aya Miyaguchi has stepped down to assume a new role as President. Her move comes in the wake of some Ethereum community members’ criticism of her leadership and sustained criticism of the Foundation.

In the blog post, Miyaguchi wrote:

This new opportunity will allow me to continue supporting EF’s institutional relationships and to expand the reach of our vision and culture more broadly.

Aya Mayaguchi

She added that she is deeply grateful and enthusiastic about what’s ahead.

Miyaguchi decided to run for President one year ago. However, recent events allowed her to gain clarity of mind after deeply reflecting on what matters to her.

Miyaguchi reflected on recent weeks, noting that they had revealed something profound about Ethereum. She observed that moments of tension—when discussions arise about the network’s performance or market dynamics—often bring the deepest truths to light. What inspires her most, she said, is how people across the world talk about Ethereum as if it were their own. She emphasized that Ethereum belongs to everyone precisely because it belongs to no one.

Ethereum Foundation is not looking to control the digital asset, but to improve its value

In her blog, the incoming President reaffirmed the Ethereum Foundation’s dedication to reinforcing the resilience of the Ethereum ecosystem. She emphasized the importance of maintaining balance across various layers of its development.

She stressed that Ethereum must navigate all layers to ensure its long-term relevance rather than exist solely within the fast-paced world of innovation or the slower-moving realm of societal and cultural evolution.

Today, I’m excited to turn the page and share that I will be closing this chapter as Executive Director of the @ethereumfndn soon and stepping into a new role as its President.

Let’s continue building in the garden.

Read my full statement :https://t.co/sn3Rpsatqy https://t.co/4Gz3WdLPLD

— Aya Miyaguchi (@AyaMiyagotchi) February 25, 2025

We do not control Ethereum; we protect its ethos while connecting an alive ecosystem of people, ideas, and values. The Foundation does not think of itself as an owner but rather a steward, actively seeking to correct imbalances while resisting the movement towards centralization.

A crucial part of this approach is the Ethereum Foundation’s “subtraction” philosophy, which is often confused with mere minimalism. Rather, as the foundation points out, it is an underlying design principle of reducing the imbalances and ensuring that no single party can overpower the direction of Ethereum’s course.

Focusing on credible neutrality and justified decentralization can help ensure that Ethereum remains a public good over the long term rather than a product and any organization associated with it in the short term.

Ethereum co-founder is all praises for Miyaguchi’s role in the Foundation

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin took to X to commend Aya Miyaguchi for her impactful seven-year tenure as executive director of the Ethereum Foundation. He emphasized that an executive director’s role is to create an environment where others can thrive, attributing the foundation’s successes—including seamless Ethereum hard forks, client interoperability workshops, Devcon, and the network’s strong culture and mission-driven focus—to her leadership.

Buterin also revealed that the Ethereum Foundation is restructuring its leadership. Amid these changes, many in the community advocate for former EF researcher Danny Ryan—who was instrumental in Ethereum’s shift to proof-of-stake—to take on the lead director role.

The Ethereum Foundation has faced criticism from the community, particularly for its lack of transparency and complex organizational structure. In response, Vitalik Buterin has taken steps to make the foundation more engaged. For example, following concerns that EF primarily interacts on-chain only when selling ETH to fund operations, the foundation deployed 50,000 ETH (valued at approximately $80 million) on Aave, Compound, and Spark.

Aya Miyaguchi, in particular, faced backlash from both the Ethereum community and some EF insiders after an interview surfaced in which she appeared to dismiss a “culture of competing and winning.” Additionally, critics argue that she has not moved quickly enough on Ethereum’s scaling solutions. Addressing the controversy, Buterin emphasized that he alone has the authority to decide who leads the Ethereum Foundation.

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