Ethereum Foundation Core Members Simultaneously Depart, Is It "Decentralization" or "Breakup"?

Translation: DeepTech TechFlow

DeepTech Summary: In April and May 2026, at least 6 core members of the Ethereum Foundation (EF) left in quick succession, covering protocol engineering, cryptoeconomic research, and management. The EF officially attributed this to proactive slimming under the "Mandate" framework, but what the community saw was: a reduction in core developers from 225 to 169, a decrease in ETH holdings, and a delay in the Glamsterdam upgrade.

This Cryptopolitan report summarizes the list of departures, EF restructuring logic, and the current status of ecosystem developers.

The Ethereum Foundation (EF) has lost several key contributors, sparking doubts about the organization's direction and Ethereum's future. This wave of departures occurred shortly after Tomasz Stańczak stepped down as EF Co-Executive Director after just one year in the role.

In April and May, a total of 6 contributors left or went on long-term leave. Departures were mainly concentrated in the Foundation's core engineering team and research department.

Some of the engineers came from the Protocol Cluster responsible for Ethereum L1 design. This department underwent restructuring, with engineers Barnabé Monnot and Tim Beiko leaving in succession.

Earlier, Josh Stark announced his departure after 7 years at EF, where he served as Co-Chair of the Trillion Dollar Security Initiative. Trent Van Epps left after 5 years at EF; he had been actively involved in organizing the Protocol Guild and will continue to contribute to the broader ecosystem in a part-time capacity.

May Exodus Intensifies

The most recent departure from EF was Carl Beek, who had been with the Foundation for 7 years and was a key figure in the Beacon Chain launch phase.

Julian Ma also resigned recently after 4 years of cryptoeconomic research at EF, focusing on mechanism design.

These two departures have attracted greater attention in the Ethereum community, sparking escalated discussions about the future direction of the EF. The Foundation's own public statements have consistently focused on "supporting the overall ecosystem," deliberately downplaying its role as a central authority.

The exit of key members does not directly indicate issues within Ethereum itself. However, these departures have indeed triggered discussions about leadership, coordination mechanisms, and what the goal of "decentralization" really means.

Developer Activity Still Holding Ground

Despite senior management changes, Ethereum's developer activity remains steady. Token Terminal data shows that the project currently retains 169 core developers, marking a 63% increase in the past month. However, looking at a longer timeframe, core developers have declined from 225 in May 2025 to 169 as of May 19, 2026.

Ethereum's core developers have seen a slight increase in the past month but have dropped from 225 in May 2025 to 169.

The overall ecosystem lags behind Solana in terms of developer numbers. However, according to Chainspect data, the Ethereum ecosystem still boasts 9,744 active developers.

The EF is advancing its restructuring in line with its newly released Mandate document, adjusting its development trajectory. One of Mandate's core goals is to reduce the Foundation's direct influence, which inherently involves parting ways with some key contributors.

Another reality the EF faces is the continual shrinking of ETH reserves in its treasury. The Foundation currently holds 103,660 ETH, having previously used some tokens for staking and sold a portion of the reserves to BitMine.

The timing of this wave of departures is less than ideal: Ethereum is poised to become a critical infrastructure layer for global finance. The team restructuring coincides with a peak period of attacks on decentralized projects, with the Ethereum ecosystem being the primary target.

Following these developments, the ETH price has been hovering at the lower end, with a 40% decline over the past year. At the time of writing, ETH is trading at $2,117.02, despite staking on the Beacon Chain accounting for 31% of the circulating supply.