The Ethereum Foundation has cut roughly 20% of its workforce, eliminating 54 positions as part of a months-long restructuring linked to its updated mandate and treasury strategy.
The layoffs were announced Tuesday in a blog post and mark the end of an internal reorganization aimed at aligning the organization’s structure with priority development work. The Foundation said the changes leave it “leaner and more focused,” with resources now organized around what it described as “critical tasks” supporting Ethereum’s long-term development, according to Coindesk.
The restructuring comes during a period of sustained leadership turnover. Co-executive director Hsiao-Wei Wang stepped down earlier this month following the earlier departure of co-executive director Tomasz Stańczak. Board member Bastian Aue has since taken on expanded responsibilities overseeing the transition and managing day-to-day operations.
Nine senior figures have left or transitioned out of the Ethereum Foundation over the past six months, contributing to broader scrutiny of its governance structure as Ethereum competes with rival blockchain ecosystems for developers and institutional adoption. Coverage of leadership instability across the crypto sector has also been reflected in reporting by Reuters, which has tracked similar executive turnover across blockchain-related companies.
While the Foundation reduces staff, ecosystem activity outside the organization continues to expand. BitMine Immersion Technologies and SharpLink Gaming, both publicly traded companies holding Ethereum in corporate treasuries, alongside Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin, have announced support for ETHLabs, a new non-profit research and development initiative aimed at accelerating Ethereum’s technical roadmap and institutional adoption
The emergence of ETHLabs aligns with a broader trend of increased institutional participation in digital asset infrastructure, a shift highlighted in Bloomberg.
As part of the restructuring, the Ethereum Foundation has reorganized its operations into five work clusters, including a dedicated institutional layer focused on enterprise engagement, financial infrastructure, and policy coordination, according to Coindesk. Meanwhile, CNBC has noted that blockchain organizations are increasingly prioritizing institutional partnerships and regulatory-aligned infrastructure development as part of long-term strategy adjustments.
A representative for the Ethereum Foundation did not respond to a request for comment, the Coindesk report said.
