Layla Zulfa
The Ethereum Foundation (EF), a pivotal organization supporting the development and growth of the Ethereum ecosystem, announced a significant leadership transition today, with co-Executive Director Tomasz set to step down from his role at the end of February 2026. Bastian Aue, a key figure within the Foundation, will assume an expanded leadership position as co-Executive Director alongside current co-ED Hsiao-Wei. This strategic shift marks a new chapter for the EF, reinforcing its commitment to continuity, innovation, and the long-term vision for Ethereum.
A Strategic Leadership Transition at the Ethereum Foundation
Tomasz’s departure, though a change in leadership, is framed as a natural progression, reflecting the Foundation’s healthy state and its capacity for smooth succession planning. His tenure as co-ED, which began around March-April 2025, has been characterized by a dynamic push for organizational efficiency, increased transparency, and enhanced engagement across various facets of the Ethereum community. The transition is designed to ensure stability and continued momentum, with Hsiao-Wei providing consistent leadership and Bastian Aue bringing his established expertise to the forefront of the Foundation’s executive operations. The EF emphasized its confidence in the new leadership structure, highlighting the collective talent and dedication of its team.
Reflecting on a Transformative Tenure: Key Achievements and Strategic Shifts
During his impactful time as co-Executive Director, Tomasz played a crucial role in accelerating internal changes and sharpening the EF’s strategic focus. He aimed to make the co-ED role both impactful and desirable, empowering a diverse array of talent within the Foundation and the broader Ethereum ecosystem. Under his guidance, the EF pursued several key objectives that have since either been realized or are showing consistent improvement:
- Accelerating Decision-Making: Streamlining processes to enable quicker and more agile responses to the rapidly evolving blockchain landscape.
- Engaging New Generations: Developing initiatives to attract and excite younger builders and creators, ensuring a continuous influx of fresh talent into the ecosystem.
- Openness to Institutions: Fostering stronger relationships with institutional players, recognizing Ethereum’s growing role in traditional finance. This included supporting institutional Ethereum conferences and showcasing the network’s robust, low-risk infrastructure.
- Founders’ Support: Strengthening support systems for founders building on Ethereum, providing resources and guidance to foster innovation.
- Treasury and Compensation Policies: Implementing clearer financial governance and fair compensation structures to enhance organizational stability and attract top talent.
- L1-L2 Relationship Clarity: Working to define and clarify the relationship between Ethereum’s Layer 1 (L1) and various Layer 2 (L2) scaling solutions, crucial for understanding the future of scalability and interoperability.
- Transparency Initiatives: Increasing internal and external transparency regarding budgets and organizational structure, fostering greater trust and accountability.
- Strengthening Local Hubs and Communities: Supporting the growth of Ethereum communities and hubs globally, extending the network’s reach and impact.
- Enhanced Communication: Improving outreach through social media, podcasts, and other channels to communicate roadmaps, use cases, and applications more clearly.
These efforts have collectively contributed to what Tomasz describes as a "healthy state" for the EF, an organization capable of balancing long-term strategic goals with the immediate need for adaptive change. His leadership was instrumental in driving many of these transformations, setting a clear direction for the Foundation into 2026 and beyond.
Ethereum’s Evolving Landscape: From Financial Infrastructure to AI Coordination
Tomasz’s announcement also offered a profound vision for the future of Ethereum, positioning it as an indispensable global infrastructure. Despite market volatility and the ebb and flow of competing ideas, his conviction in Ethereum’s technology, governance, and societal impact remains unwavering. He articulated a future where Ethereum serves as the foundational layer for an increasingly complex digital world:
- Financial Infrastructure Transformation: Ethereum has emerged as a clear institutional preference, particularly in 2025. Dashboards indicate its growing market share in stablecoins and Real-World Asset (RWA) activity. This preference is rooted in Ethereum’s "credible neutrality," robust decentralization, and an unparalleled record of no downtime since its genesis. These attributes present institutions with an infrastructure that carries uniquely low counterparty, technology, and jurisdiction risks, making it an attractive choice for integrating blockchain technology into traditional financial systems. The upcoming institutional Ethereum conference in New York in 2026 further underscores this growing integration.
- The Rise of AI and Agentic Systems: Tomasz foresees Ethereum as the "natural infrastructure layer for coordination" for emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and autonomous agents. He highlighted the rapid advancements in open-source Large Language Models (LLMs) and the burgeoning field of open-source agentic workers, which he describes as "the most exciting toys for builders and creators since early Ethereum." In this future, robots, new forms of governance, and AI-driven healthcare and education systems will increasingly rely on Ethereum for verification and financial transactions, navigating the complex privacy and security questions that arise with these new paradigms. The cypherpunk ethos, emphasizing privacy and security, remains central to Ethereum’s mission, ensuring that the network supports users’ essential infrastructure needs.
This optimistic outlook underscores the belief that Ethereum is not just adapting to technological shifts but is actively positioning itself as the underlying trust layer for the next generation of digital innovation.
Strengthening the Core: Protocol Development and Future Roadmaps
The Ethereum Foundation’s commitment to robust protocol development remains a cornerstone of its strategy. Several key initiatives are underway to ensure the network’s continued evolution and security:
- LEAN Ethereum and Core Development Roadmap: A proposal for a merged LEAN Ethereum and core development roadmap is anticipated to be released soon. This will outline the long-term trajectory for the Ethereum protocol, providing clear guidance and a framework for coordination among core developers in 2026 and beyond. Following two successful network upgrades in 2025, the EF Protocol team and core developers are well-positioned to deliver essential improvements consistently and on schedule.
- Quantum Security Strategy: Recognizing the long-term threat posed by quantum computing, the EF has developed a clear quantum strategy. Top quantum security researchers are finalizing specifications, and engineers are actively working on implementations to ensure Ethereum’s resilience against future cryptographic challenges. Post-quantum security is a defined priority within the EF Protocol roadmap.
- Decentralized AI Team: A dedicated decentralized AI team is actively developing standards, conducting experiments, and formulating solutions for the burgeoning agentic economy. This team is at the forefront of integrating AI capabilities with blockchain technology, exploring new frontiers in automated and intelligent systems.
- Trillion Dollar Security Program: The Protocol team, in conjunction with initiatives like FOCIL (Formal Verification of Critical Infrastructure Layers), is dedicating significant effort to enhancing the network’s security and censorship resistance. The "Trillion Dollar Security program" highlights the immense value and criticality of protecting Ethereum’s infrastructure.
These strategic investments in core development demonstrate the EF’s proactive approach to maintaining Ethereum’s technological leadership and ensuring its long-term viability.
Navigating the L1-L2 Relationship and Ecosystem Growth
A major focus during Tomasz’s tenure has been clarifying and strengthening the relationship between Ethereum’s L1 and its diverse ecosystem of L2 scaling solutions.
- Vitalik’s Clarity: Vitalik Buterin’s recent posts (at the beginning of 2026) have provided crucial clarity regarding the observed situation, emphasizing how L2s extend or build upon Ethereum with varying security and decentralization trade-offs. L2s differentiate themselves by balancing risks and user experience across parameters such as scaling, decentralization, historical state availability, and privacy.
- Platform Team and Network School: The EF established a Platform team and hosted the "Network School," bringing together over 20 Ethereum L2s to discuss the future of scaling, differentiation, and interoperability. This collaborative approach has helped teams building base rollups, native rollups, and synchronous composability to start the year with clearer visions and more focused strategies.
- L2 Dominance: A significant trend observed is that major Ethereum rollups are increasingly surpassing alternative L1s in stablecoin volume and transactions per second (TPS) metrics, a trajectory that Tomasz is confident will continue. This demonstrates the success of Ethereum’s modular scaling strategy.
- Ecosystem Development (EcoDev): The EcoDev team, under the leadership of James Smith, focuses intensely on the success of founders, institutions, and governments building on Ethereum. Their efforts are complemented by a dedicated Global Policy Support team, ensuring that regulatory landscapes are navigated effectively. The Foundation is also increasingly leveraging AI for internal coordination, enhancing efficiency and communication. Resources like ethereum.org and forkcast.org continue to provide clear communication about roadmaps, use cases, and applications.
- DeFi Coordination: In the coming weeks, the EF’s DeFi coordination team is set to publish a blog post outlining its plans and roadmap, signaling renewed focus and support for the decentralized finance ecosystem, a critical component of Ethereum’s utility.
Upholding Cypherpunk Values Amidst Institutional Adoption
While the Ethereum Foundation has become more open to institutional engagement and broader applications, it remains steadfastly centered around its foundational cypherpunk values.
- Silviculture Society and Emerging Risks: Groups like Vitalik Buterin’s "Silviculture Society" play a vital role in advising senior leaders on emerging risks and cautioning against potential missteps, ensuring that core principles are not compromised for expediency. Vitalik’s public statements at the beginning of 2026 further reinforced the importance of what is fundamental to the EF’s existence, guiding the community towards respecting the network’s core tenets.
- Applied Privacy: The work of Privacy and Scaling Explorations (PSE) and Kohaku is increasingly focused on "applied privacy," developing practical solutions that allow users to maintain privacy in a transparent blockchain environment.
- Security and Censorship Resistance: The Protocol team’s dedication to security and censorship resistance, exemplified by initiatives like FOCIL and the Trillion Dollar Security program, ensures that Ethereum remains a robust, resilient, and permissionless network for all.
Global Outreach and Community Engagement
The EF’s efforts extend globally, fostering vibrant communities and expanding Ethereum’s reach:
- Devcon Mumbai 2026: The announcement of Devcon Mumbai in 2026 is a testament to the EF’s commitment to global communities. This event will bring blockchain thought leaders and founders to India, a community that has long deserved such a prominent platform.
- Engaging New Builders: The Foundation is actively improving its engagement with the new generation of builders, leveraging new voices and talented media professionals to maintain community excitement, particularly around agentic AI and Ethereum’s role as its go-to trust infrastructure.
- Ethereum Everywhere: The "Ethereum Everywhere" initiative continues to support local hubs in key global cities such as San Francisco, Lagos, London, Berlin, and Hong Kong. The Academic Secretariat team plans numerous university events, and the "pop-up cities" concept gains momentum, fostering organized environments where new builders and long-term thought leaders can connect and collaborate worldwide.
The Future of Ethereum Foundation Leadership
With Tomasz’s transition, the Ethereum Foundation leadership is set for continuity and expansion. Hsiao-Wei will continue her path as co-Executive Director, providing consistent strategic direction. Bastian Aue, a respected leader within the EF, will step into an expanded co-ED role alongside Hsiao-Wei. This leadership duo will be supported by an exceptional team:
- James Smith: Continues his mission of transforming EcoDev, focusing on the success of builders, founders, and institutions.
- Bastian Aue and Tju Liang: Will continue to lead policy support and long-term strategic work, demonstrating strong emotional intelligence and facilitating thoughtful discussions on complex matters.
- Josh Stark: Recognized for his exceptional talent in executing operational changes swiftly and leading major communication shifts on social media in 2025.
- Protocol Cluster: Engineers and researchers within the Protocol cluster are working more closely than ever, confidently setting roadmaps and tackling the most challenging technological hurdles.
- Joe Schweitzer: Instrumental in reviewing countless podcasts and helping the EF reach a broad audience.
This strong, cohesive leadership team ensures that the EF remains dynamic, resilient, and led by highly intelligent individuals, capable of navigating rapid changes and complex challenges.
Tomasz’s Next Chapter: Embracing the Builder Ethos
Looking ahead, Tomasz expressed his intention to remain deeply involved in the Ethereum ecosystem, albeit in a different capacity. He plans to continue supporting the EF leadership with advice when needed and intends to "always put pressure on the Ethereum ecosystem to move at pace."
His future plans include:
- Core Developer and Product Builder: Acting more as a core developer and a hands-on product builder.
- Agentic Core Development and Governance: Focusing specifically on agentic core development and agentic governance, a field he believes is reshaping the world. This echoes his sentiment from 2017 when he founded Nethermind, recognizing a significant shift where Ethereum was poised to transform financial systems. He now feels a similar conviction regarding agentic systems and AI-assisted discovery.
- Supporting Frontier Tech Founders: Continuing to work directly with founders in frontier technology and Ethereum, helping to realize the vision he has championed for years.
Tomasz’s transition is driven by a desire to return to the foundational act of building and experimenting, mirroring the playful innovation that characterized early Ethereum. He sees this as "one of the most exciting times to be a builder on Ethereum," reaffirming his unwavering belief in the platform’s potential.
A Legacy of Impact and Gratitude
Tomasz concluded his announcement with heartfelt gratitude to the countless individuals who supported him, the EF, and Ethereum during his tenure. He acknowledged the diverse array of people he encountered across more than 20 countries—builders, financiers, educators, policymakers, creators, researchers, and academics—and expressed appreciation for their support, challenging questions, and constructive critique.
He extended thanks to the EF board for their bold decision to bring him on, to Hsiao-Wei and the management team for their collaborative spirit, and to specific individuals like Bastian Aue, Josh Stark, Tju Liang, and Joe Schweitzer for their invaluable contributions. He also gave a massive thanks to the hundreds of Ethereum leaders who provided crucial insights in early 2025, guiding the EF’s strategy. Finally, he expressed profound gratitude to every single person at the EF for their dedication and execution of their beliefs and talents.
Tomasz’s departure marks the end of a significant chapter for the Ethereum Foundation, but it also heralds a new phase of leadership and continued innovation. His contributions have undoubtedly strengthened the EF, preparing it to navigate the complexities and opportunities of Ethereum’s unfolding future.
