The Ethereum Foundation has lost another high-ranking contributor, amid increasing scrutiny of the research organization as the network faces ongoing questions about talent retention and governance philosophy.<\/p>\n
In a post on X, co-executive director Hsiao-Wei Wang announced<\/a> that she had stepped down from her role, effective immediately, following a recent sabbatical. Wang wrote that “Ethereum has always been bigger than any role” and indicated that she has not yet decided what she will do next.<\/p>\n Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin commented on Wang\u2019s an X post, acknowledging that she had taken on \u201cthe most challenging position in the Ethereum Foundation\u201d alongside Tomasz Stanczak, who also stepped down from his leadership role earlier this year.<\/p>\n \n Source: <\/em>Vitalik Buterin<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n The Ethereum Foundation has logged an estimated 19 layoffs and departures this year, although the loss of senior executives and core contributors has drawn the most attention. The wave of departures comes as the foundation grapples with intensifying competition, ongoing debate over Ethereum\u2019s governance<\/a> and long-term development strategy, and continued pressure on Ether\u2019s market performance.<\/p>\n Buterin has also pushed back against criticism<\/a>, particularly claims that the foundation should play a more active role in promoting the network. In May, he said that the foundation \u201cis not the \u2018center of Ethereum,\u2019 rather […] \u2018one node, with a defined purpose, alongside other nodes.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Related: <\/strong><\/em>Blockchain researcher defends Ethereum Foundation, says it\u2019s doing \u2018exactly\u2019 its job<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n In March, the Ethereum Foundation reaffirmed its role<\/a> as a steward of the Ethereum ecosystem, unveiling a revised mandate that places even greater emphasis on decentralization.<\/p>\n \u201cOur ultimate goal is for Ethereum to pass the walkaway test: its protocol and core application layers become robust and trustless enough that they would continue to reliably function and evolve even if the Foundation and today\u2019s core developers disappeared tomorrow,\u201d the foundation said.<\/p>\n \n Source: <\/em>Ethereum Foundation<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n That philosophy has also shaped Buterin\u2019s evolving stance on Ethereum layer-2 networks \u2014 the independent blockchains built on top of Ethereum to improve scalability and reduce transaction costs.\u00a0<\/p>\nDecentralization remains Ethereum Foundation\u2019s core mandate<\/h2>\n
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