Ethereum Foundation's 'Slimming' Strategy or Structural Collapse: Identity Crisis Triggered by Departure of Key Personnel

As of May 22, 2026, the Ethereum community is facing an existential crisis that goes beyond technical roadmap debates. With key figures from the Ethereum Foundation (EF), including Carl Beek and Julian Ma, resigning in succession over the past week, the ecosystem is in a 'brain drain' situation that necessitates redefining the network's leadership and competitiveness in the smart contract market.

This situation goes beyond simple personnel turnover, raising fundamental doubts about the Ethereum Foundation's organizational management and future vision. Within the community, criticism is mounting over the lack of a clear governance structure to replace the Foundation as its influence weakens.

The shock that began with news of key figures' departures earlier this week is now spreading among community members as fundamental doubts about the Foundation's future. This situation, which transcends simple personnel turnover, poses existential questions about whether the values and organizational structure Ethereum pursues remain valid in the current market environment.

The bigger problem is not just the loss of personnel, but that the focal point of Ethereum's vision is shaking. The gap between the ideal of decentralization and the reality of efficient development coordination has reached a critical point.

The Ethereum Foundation explains this reduction in personnel as part of a strategic organizational slimming and restructuring under the 'Mandate' framework. However, the community perceives this as the 'dissolution' or 'fragmentation' of the Foundation, and the fact that the number of core developers has plummeted from 225 to 169 supports these concerns.

Key Figures Who Left the Ethereum Foundation

During the first half of 2026, many key figures responsible for the Ethereum protocol and coordination left the foundation. In particular, the departure of Co-Executive Director Tomasz Stańczak, who resigned after just one year, and Tim Beiko, a symbolic figure in protocol coordination, left a significant void within the organization.

• Carl Beek: Core Development (Resigned May 2026)
• Julian Ma: Core Development (Resigned May 2026)
• Pablo Voorvaart: Senior Solutions Architect (Resigned May 2026)
• Tomasz Stańczak: Co-Executive Director (Resigned April 2026)
• Tim Beiko: Protocol Coordination (Ceased activity)
• Barnabé Monnot: Cryptoeconomics Research (Departed)

According to Chainspect's Q2 2026 data, Solana's active developer count reached 10,964, surpassing Ethereum's 9,642. This is interpreted as a quantitative indicator that developer interest and resources are moving outside the Ethereum ecosystem, signaling that Ethereum is losing ground in the market's 'developer share' battle.

Solana's surge holds significance beyond mere numbers. Developers prefer faster transaction speeds and an integrated ecosystem; while Ethereum adheres to a Layer 2-centric roadmap, Solana is capturing developers' hearts by prioritizing user experience on a single layer.

The ecosystem structure, fragmented into more than 50 Layer 2 solutions, is weakening Ethereum's cohesion by dispersing developers and liquidity. As each Layer 2 project attempts to build its own independent ecosystem, the identity of the Ethereum mainnet is becoming blurred, leading to a loss of the community's focal point.

The void left by senior protocol engineers is hindering technical progress. In particular, as the highly anticipated 'Glamsterdam' upgrade was postponed due to internal coordination failures and labor shortages, concerns about whether Ethereum can maintain its technological lead over competitors are becoming a reality.

Ultimately, Ethereum faces the challenge of finding a new balance between the ideals of decentralized governance and efficient execution. Whether the departure of key personnel will be a healthy rotation for the organization or a precursor to decline depends on how the foundation fills the leadership vacuum in the future.