Ethereum Foundation Faces 'Brain Drain' as At Least Eight Senior Researchers Depart in 2026

May 20, 2026

The Ethereum Foundation is facing a "brain drain" after at least nine senior members departed in 2026, sparking community concern. The exits follow criticism of the Foundation's leadership, its lack of economic alignment with the ETH asset, and the impact of the Dencun upgrade on tokenomics. In response, prominent figures are calling for a new, accountable organization to steward the ecosystem, while the Foundation has yet to comment.

Ethereum Foundation researcher departures

▪Protocol researchers Carl Beekhuizen and Julian Ma, and senior solutions architect Pablo Voorvaart, resigned from the Ethereum Foundation in May 2026.
▪The departures have raised community concerns about a "brain drain" and the potential impact on future network upgrades like Glamsterdam.
▪Other 2026 departures include Tomasz Stańczak, Raúl Kripalani, Josh Stark, Trent Van Epps, Barnabé Monnot, and Tim Beiko.
▪The Ethereum Foundation has confirmed that devnets for the upcoming Glamsterdam upgrade are live and preparations for the Hegotà upgrade are underway.
▪The departing members represent years of institutional knowledge, with contributions including the Beacon Chain's early design and censorship resistance tools.
▪At least nine senior team members have departed the Ethereum Foundation in 2026.

EF governance economic misalignment

▪Former EF researcher Dankrad Feist stated that Ethereum's governance is fundamentally misaligned with the network's economic interests.
▪The Ethereum Foundation controls less than 0.1% of all ETH and receives no direct revenue from network staking or fees.
▪Critics argue the Ethereum Foundation has become overly focused on ideology while neglecting ETH price performance and business development.

Dencun upgrade tokenomics criticism

▪The March 2024 Dencun upgrade dramatically reduced transaction fees on Ethereum layer-2 networks.
▪Critics argue that Ethereum's scaling roadmap and lower fees have weakened the "ultrasound money" narrative, which was central to its investment thesis.
▪Crypto journalist Laura Shin called Ethereum's failure to consider tokenomics with every move since the Dencun upgrade its "original sin."

Community calls for institutional reform

▪Dankrad Feist called for the community to create a new organization that is economically aligned with and accountable to Ethereum.
▪Investor Ryan Berckmans pushed back against panic over the departures, framing the transition as a "healthy handoff" and a "time for new blood."
▪Feist proposed this new institution have a $1 billion treasury, permanent funding from staking revenues, and an incentivized board.

EF leadership accountability concerns

▪The Ethereum Foundation has not offered a detailed explanation for the recent departures, deepening community uncertainty.
▪In March 2026, the Ethereum Foundation asked staffers to sign a "cypherpunk manifesto" but reversed its decision after a community outcry.
▪The recent exits follow a period of unrest in 2024 where community members expressed frustration with the Ethereum Foundation's management.