The Ethereum Foundation continues to see senior researchers and protocol contributors exit the organization throughout the first half of 2026. Many industry observers raise alarm over the recent movement, with some floating the possibility that something is afoot. One observer offers a specific perspective on the reason behind the recent departure of the core developers and researchers.
- The Ethereum Foundation loses eight key researchers this year as part of a planned transition to community-led governance.
- Eight notable contributors including Julian Ma and Carl Beek resigned during the first half of 2026 to decentralize protocol oversight.
- Longtime observer William Mougayar claims this planned obsolescence is necessary for Ethereum to pass the critical Walkaway Test.
William Mougayar, a longtime Ethereum ecosystem observer and author, described the departures as part of a planned transition rather than a crisis. In a detailed analysis published on May 11, 2026, he wrote: “The Ethereum Foundation is going through a planned obsolescence as part of a strategic handoff to the community… We have passed Peak EF. The core will become a real core. The periphery will become a more accountable ecosystem. The organization that once coordinated Ethereum will, by design, stop being the thing the world points to when it asks who is in charge.”
Mougayar argued that the Foundation is intentionally shrinking to allow Ethereum to pass the “walkaway test,” the idea that the network should continue to function, improve, and defend itself even if the Foundation disappeared. He called this deliberate unmaking the most bullish signal Ethereum has sent in five years, as it moves the protocol closer to true decentralization with no single point of control.
Julian Ma and Carl Beek resigned in recent weeks, bringing the total number of notable exits to at least eight this year. Barnabé Monnot and Tim Beiko stepped back from leadership roles in the Protocol Cluster, while Alex Stokes began a sabbatical. Will Corcoran, Kev Wedderburn, and Fredrik assumed co-lead positions as the Foundation restructured the team responsible for core protocol development, scaling, and upgrades.
The Protocol Cluster handles critical Layer 1 scaling, Layer 2 coordination, and user experience improvements. The leadership transition reflects efforts to distribute responsibility more broadly across the ecosystem as Ethereum matures. The new co-leads bring expertise in zkVM proving, zkEVM development, and protocol security, while the outgoing contributors had guided multiple network upgrades in recent years.
The changes also align with Vitalik Buterin’s long-standing vision for Ethereum. By reducing the Foundation’s relative influence, the network aims to eliminate any central chokepoint that could be targeted by regulators, markets, or critics. This approach mirrors Bitcoin’s more diffuse development model, where no single organization holds visible control.
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👉 Submit Your PRIndustry participants are closely watching whether the distributed leadership model can maintain the pace of innovation without the previous centralized structure. The departures have sparked debate about institutional memory and continuity, but Mougayar and others argue they represent a necessary step toward Ethereum’s long-term decentralization goals.
Chain Street’s Take
The Ethereum Foundation’s leadership changes reflect a deliberate strategy to reduce its own centrality. Rather than a sign of weakness, the departures and new appointments align with the Mandate’s stated goal of making Ethereum pass the walkaway test. As the network matures, this planned reduction in the Foundation’s influence could strengthen its long-term decentralization and credibility.
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