ETH Price Plunges 40% as Key Developers Abandon Ethereum Foundation

The price of Ethereum (ETH) has crashed 40% in a dramatic sell-off, triggered by a wave of high-profile resignations from the Ethereum Foundation that has shattered investor confidence. The exodus, intensifying after co-director Tomasz Stańczak’s abrupt departure just one year into his tenure, is now sparking urgent fears over the network's leadership vacuum and technical roadmap. Market analysts warn this internal turmoil could signal a prolonged bearish trajectory for Ethereum, with the foundation’s reserve policies facing sharp scrutiny as the community questions the platform’s future stability.

Consecutive resignations and team reshuffling

In April and May, six contributors either left the Ethereum Foundation or took extended leaves, significantly impacting the core engineering and research teams. The organization’s Protocol Cluster unit, responsible for L1 protocol design, underwent restructuring after the departure of two influential engineers, Barnabé Monnot and Tim Beiko.

Several long-serving members have also moved on. Josh Stark, who contributed for seven years across multiple projects and co-led the Trillion Dollar Security Initiative, has left the foundation. Likewise, after five years with the Protocol Guild, Trent Van Epps stepped down from his full-time position but plans to continue contributing to the Ethereum ecosystem on a part-time basis.

Departures causing a stir in the community

One of the notable resignations in May was by Carl Beek, who had been with the Ethereum Foundation for over seven years and played a crucial role in developing the Beacon Chain.

Reflecting on his seven years at the foundation, Carl Beek expressed pride in contributing to various projects. He highlighted his involvement in the KZG ceremony and the initial design of the Beacon Chain as among his most important experiences and noted his upcoming departure from the foundation.

Shortly after, Julian Ma, a researcher in cryptoeconomics and mechanism design for four years, also announced he was leaving the organization.

Julian Ma shared his gratitude for the opportunity to work with prominent figures over the past four years and emphasized the collaborative effort on many meaningful projects with the community.

These two high-profile departures have fueled questions about the foundation’s future direction. Nevertheless, the foundation continues to stress its vision of supporting the ecosystem as a facilitator, rather than serving as a central authority.

Developer numbers and shifting technical landscape

Despite the resignations, a significant level of developer activity remains within Ethereum. According to Token Terminal data, there are currently 169 core developers on the platform. The past month saw a 63 percent increase in the core team, although this is still below the 225 developers recorded in May last year. This points to a year-on-year decline, but also hints at a partial recovery recently.

Data from Chainspect shows that a total of 9,744 Ethereum developers were actively contributing in the recent period. However, when considering overall ecosystem developer numbers, Solana now leads ahead of Ethereum.

Foundation policy, reserves, and ETH’s market trajectory

The Ethereum Foundation recently outlined its Mandate, signaling plans for a structural transformation. The initiative envisages a move away from direct, centralized influence towards a more background, supporting role, paving the way for the exit of some key contributors.

Meanwhile, there’s been a reduction in the foundation’s ETH reserves, which now stand at 103,660 ETH. Part of these holdings have been staked, while some have reportedly been sold via BitMine.

Amid these changes, expectations persist that Ethereum will remain a critical layer within the broader financial system. Yet, as decentralized projects face escalating cyber threats, the foundation’s internal restructuring takes on added significance.

Following these latest developments, the price of ETH has seen a sharp decline. According to CryptoAppsy’s market data, ETH has fallen 40 percent over the past year to around $2,117.02. Despite the declining price, 31 percent of ETH’s circulating supply is staked on Beacon Chain, reflecting confidence in Ethereum’s long-term ecosystem.