The Ethereum Foundation is restructuring its research and development team, leading to layoffs among some members, as part of a strategic shift to tackle key protocol design challenges. The organization shared this update in a blog post, highlighting efforts to better focus on its core mission.
This move comes amid ongoing scrutiny over the foundation’s management and strategic direction. Community members have expressed concerns for over a year that unresolved technical hurdles could threaten Ethereum’s position as a leading blockchain platform. In response, the foundation has already implemented leadership changes to address these issues.
As part of its new strategy, the Ethereum Foundation is rebranding its Protocol Research and Development division to simply “Protocol.” The team will now concentrate on three main priorities: scaling Ethereum’s base layer, expanding blobspace—a critical component of its data availability strategy—and enhancing user experience.
The foundation stated, “The changes we’re announcing today are a departure from our previous ways of working, but we believe these steps will make us more responsive and effective moving forward.” While the exact number of affected staff members hasn’t been disclosed, the blog mentioned that some team members will not continue with the foundation. They also encouraged other builders within the Ethereum ecosystem to consider reaching out to these individuals for collaboration.
A spokesperson for the foundation did not comment further on the layoffs. The newly structured Protocol team aims to serve as a central hub for Ethereum’s core development efforts, providing greater transparency around upgrade timelines, technical documentation, and research initiatives.
Hsiao-Wei Weng, co-executive director of the Ethereum Foundation, expressed optimism, saying, “We hope this new structure will empower our teams to focus more sharply and drive forward the key initiatives that will shape Ethereum’s future.”
This strategic overhaul reflects the foundation’s commitment to overcoming technical challenges and strengthening Ethereum’s ecosystem as it continues to evolve.
