Ethereum Foundation Shakes Up Team in Bid to Scale Faster and Fix UX Pain Points
Ethereum’s core team just got leaner—and the crypto world is buzzing. The Ethereum Foundation confirmed layoffs today as part of a restructuring plan targeting scalability bottlenecks and clunky user experiences. No numbers were disclosed, but insiders suggest cuts hit non-essential roles to free up resources for L2 development and interface overhauls.
Why now? With competitors eating into ETH’s market share—and Wall Street still waiting for that ’flippening’ they were promised—the pressure’s on to deliver actual utility, not just whitepaper promises. The move signals a shift from ’build it and they will come’ to ’fix it before they leave.’
One hedge fund manager quipped: ’Great—now if they could just restructure those gas fees.’
Reorganization Efforts
According to a Monday blog post, the Foundation has rebranded its Protocol Research and Development division under a new, simplified name, “Protocol.” The organization is also reorganizing its teams and introducing clear coordination structures focused on three main areas: scaling Ethereum’s base layer, expanding blob space, and improving user experience.
“This also means some members of PR&D won’t be continuing with the Ethereum Foundation. We hope these individuals continue on in the Ethereum ecosystem and encourage others building out their teams to seek them out,” the statement said.
The foundation did not name the people affected by the layoffs. However, it said these changes are needed to place it on a more “responsive and effective path.”
The restructured Protocol team will serve as a central hub for Ethereum’s Core development efforts. The goal is to improve transparency around upgrade timelines, strengthen technical documentation, and support ongoing research.
The non-profit said leadership will play an important role in carrying out its plan, with roles being clearly defined to increase accountability and accelerate progress.
Tim Beiko and Ansgar Dietrichs will head efforts to scale LAYER 1. Alex Stokes and Francesco D’Amato will be in charge of Layer 2 scaling, while Barnabé Monnot and Josh Rudolf will lead user experience improvements.
Dankrad Feist has also been appointed as strategic advisor across all three focus areas and will support the project leads in executing their responsibilities.
“We’re hopeful that this new structure will empower our internal teams to focus more clearly and drive key initiatives forward,” said Hsiao-Wei Weng, co-executive director at the Ethereum Foundation, in a post on X.
The announcement also emphasized the Ethereum community’s role. The foundation says it does not aim to replace external contributors but instead wants to uphold high working standards. In line with this, new governance forums are being introduced, and feedback channels are being enhanced to ensure more effective input.
Community Criticism
The reorganization comes in response to ongoing criticism over the foundation’s management and strategic direction. Some members of the Ethereum community have warned for over a year that unresolved technical issues such as scalability, transaction speeds, and developer engagement could pose risks to the network’s leadership in the space.
The non-profit has already made leadership changes to help address these concerns. In March, Hsiao-Wei Weng and Tomasz K. Stańczak were named co-executive directors. These appointments aimed to bring balance between operational and technical leadership.
