The Ethereum Foundation (EF) is navigating one of the most turbulent periods in its history. The organization has experienced approximately 19 staff exits and layoffs throughout 2026, with at
The Ethereum Foundation (EF) is navigating one of the most turbulent periods in its history. The organization has experienced approximately 19 staff exits and layoffs throughout 2026, with at least eight senior-level departures occurring within a five-month span.
Hsiao-Wei Wang stepped down as co-executive director of the Ethereum Foundation, effective June 18, saying a recent sabbatical gave her space to reconsider her priorities and what she wants to build next.Wang is the second co-executive director to leave the EF this year. Tomasz Stańczak stepped down earlier in 2026 after helping steer a leadership transition at the Switzerland-based nonprofit.
During Wang's sabbatical, Ethereum Foundation board member Bastian Aue helped oversee the leadership transition and has taken on a larger role in guiding the organization in the interim following the departures of both co-executive directors.Over roughly nine years with the EF, Wang was a core contributor to some of Ethereum's most consequential upgrades, including the Beacon Chain, The Merge, Shapella, and Dencun.
Ethereum co-founder @VitalikButerin acknowledged the weight of the role Wang had held. Buterin described her position as "the most challenging" within the foundation.
Wang's exit is the latest in a sustained run of high-profile losses. The departing members join a roster that includes P2P networking lead Raúl Kripalani, operations lead Josh Stark, Protocol Guild founder Trent Van Epps, and Protocol Cluster leads Barnabé Monnot and Tim Beiko.Former co-executive director Tomasz Stańczak resigned in February after serving in the role for less than a year, and long-time EF member Josh Stark left in March after seven years with the organization.
The EF rolled out a new mandate in 2025 that pushed execution outward and kept research and grants at the center, and the 2026 exits are the second-order effect of that restructuring playing out.In March, the foundation reaffirmed its mandate, placing greater emphasis on decentralization, stating that its goal is for Ethereum to pass what it called the "walkaway test," meaning the protocol would continue to function and evolve even if the EF and its core developers disappeared entirely.
At least eight senior figures have departed the organization over the past five months, fueling community scrutiny of the EF's priorities, governance, and strategic direction, as Ethereum faces mounting competition from rival blockchains.The resignation raises fresh questions about leadership continuity, even as Ethereum's supporters argue the network is larger than any one organization or role, and that its decentralized community remains its core strength.
Sources:CoinDesk: Ethereum Foundation Loses Another Key Leader as Co-Executive Director Hsiao-Wei Wang ResignsUnchained Crypto: Ethereum Foundation Exodus Deepens With at Least Eight Senior Departures in 2026Bankless: Hsiao-Wei Wang Departs Ethereum Foundation After Nearly a Decade
