Ethereum Foundation Reshapes Core Team Amid Strategic Overhaul

Highlights:

• Ethereum Foundation has reshaped the core team to prioritize Layer 1 scaling, blobspace, and UX.
• Recent Pectra upgrade vulnerabilities prompted a tighter focus on protocol security and design.
• Leadership shifts aim to improve coordination and accelerate Ethereum’s technical roadmap.

The core development team at the Ethereum Foundation has been restructured in a major change. The former Protocol Research & Development team, now referred to as “Protocol”, will work on three main key priorities: upgrading Ethereum’s base layer, extending blobspace and improving user experience. Layoffs were also part of the restructuring, resulting in some Foundation members leaving. However, the organization has not confirmed how many employees were affected.

In the blog post, the Foundation referred to reconsidering its ways of designing and managing the Ethereum protocol. The aim is to make development activities more efficient and better able to answer the demands, which are often hard to define and resolve. With the new structure, teams are expected to collaborate more when solving problems, which speeds up the development process.

Announcing Protocolhttps://t.co/LMANvhQ0X3

— Ethereum Foundation (@ethereumfndn) June 2, 2025

Furthermore, leadership positions in the revamped Protocol team have gone to knowledgeable contributors. Tim Beiko and Ansgar Dietrichs will handle Layer 1 scaling and Alex Stokes and Francesco D’Amato will handle blob scaling. Barnabé Monnot and Josh Rudolf have been hired to enhance the users’ experience. All three key priorities will receive guidance from strategic advisor Dankrad Feist. According to the foundation, these projects show that it has a special edge in the Ethereum ecosystem.

Addressing Challenges in Protocol Design and Security

The internal overhaul happened shortly following the Ethereum Pectra upgrade, which revealed some potential security weaknesses. The Ethereum Improvement Proposal EIP-7702 included a delegation feature that lets accounts operate temporarily like smart contracts. Though the purpose was to increase wallet functionality, attackers have already taken advantage of it in wallet-draining attacks. Concerns about security issues have made it necessary for development efforts to be more focused.

While EIP-7702 brings new convenience, it also introduces new risks

Our Research team found that over 97% of all EIP-7702 delegations were authorized to multiple contracts using the same exact code. These are sweepers, used to automatically drain incoming ETH from compromised… pic.twitter.com/xHp7zr4hC9

— Wintermute (@wintermute_t) May 30, 2025

Changing the foundation’s structure also comes after several changes in governance. Hsiao-Wei Wang and Tomasz Stańczak were named co-executive directors this year to help boost operations and leadership in technology. At the same time, Vitalik Buterin has participated more directly in Foundation decision-making, stressing his technical knowledge.

The Foundation is putting effort into aligning research and putting it into practice. It pointed out the importance of a closer connection between prototyping and production to deal with the complex aspects of protocol updates. Furthermore, the upcoming upgrade to Fusaka will emphasize Peer Data Availability Sampling (PeerDAS), an essential piece in Ethereum’s efforts to scale.

Focused Strategy by Ethereum Foundation to Support ETH’s Growth

According to Ethereum’s Foundation, restructuring is necessary to get the network ready for widespread use globally. The Foundation noted this moment as an important moment to use technology according to the core principles of Ethereum. Focusing on scaling Layer 1, expanding blobspace, and improving user experience strives to strengthen and expand the blockchain.

Rebranding their name to “Protocol” shows that the research team is moving toward a faster and purpose-driven organization. The foundation expects this team to drive the main development projects, coordinate research efforts, and publish key technical documentation. Additionally, this centralized approach hopes to increase transparency around upgrade schedules and development progress.