Ethereum Foundation
Summary
The Ethereum Foundation (Stiftung Ethereum) is a Swiss nonprofit organization founded in 2014 to support the development and growth of the Ethereum blockchain network, the world's second-largest by market capitalization. On June 23, 2026, the Foundation announced a sweeping restructuring that eliminated approximately 54 positions (roughly 20% of its workforce), cut its 2026 operating budget by 40%, closed its Privacy and Scaling Explorations (PSE) ZK research unit, and reorganized into five protocol-focused work clusters. The restructuring follows nine senior-level departures since January 2026, including both co-executive directors, and coincides with a credible warning from former core contributor Trent Van Epps that Ethereum's core development ecosystem could face a structural funding shortage within three to nine months.
Connected Entities
1 entities · 10 linked investigations- + 3 more
Timeline(13 events)
2014-01-01
Ethereum Foundation (Stiftung Ethereum) incorporated in Zug, Switzerland to support Ethereum protocol development
ethereum.org2021-12-01
Ethereum Foundation formally announces the Client Incentive Program (CIP), a staking-reward-based initiative funding execution and consensus client teams
ZyCrypto2024-02-26
Ethereum Foundation discloses via GitHub that it received a confidential inquiry from an undisclosed state authority; removes warrant canary from website
CoinDesk2024-03-20
Fortune reports the SEC is probing companies with dealings with the Ethereum Foundation, focused on ETH's proof-of-stake classification; ETH drops approximately 6%
Fortune2024-05-23
SEC approves 19b-4 filings for eight spot Ethereum ETPs, widely interpreted as a de facto acknowledgment that ETH is not classified as a security
Unchained2026-02-01
Co-executive director Tomasz Stanczak departs the Ethereum Foundation; Bastian Aue assumes expanded interim role
CoinDesk2026-04-11
Trent Van Epps departs the Ethereum Foundation after nearly five years; Client Incentive Program (CIP) expires with no announced successor
ZyCrypto2026-05-01
Five of nine eventual senior departures occur in the month of May 2026, prompting community debate about transparency and leadership
CryptoRank2026-06-18
Co-executive director Hsiao-Wei Wang resigns, effective immediately, following a sabbatical
CoinDesk2026-06-22
ETHLabs, an independent nonprofit R&D organization founded by five former EF researchers, launches with backing from BitMine, SharpLink, and Joseph Lubin
CoinDesk2026-06-23
Ethereum Foundation announces elimination of 54 positions (~20% of workforce), 40% 2026 budget cut, closure of PSE ZK research lab, and reorganization into five work clusters; ETH drops approximately 5%
CoinDesk2026-06-26
Former EF member Trent Van Epps publicly warns that Ethereum core development could face a structural funding shortage within 3-9 months, citing CIP expiration and EF spending cuts
CoinDeskDecision Log
- hash: Bq5UDEWkH7x2aiDf7jKNfFRo54ahu2sPR1UQHBJCUAit
This investigation is cryptographically anchored to the Solana blockchain and source URLs are archived via the Internet Archive.
model: claude-code-investigator
generated: 6/28/2026, 12:04:33 PM
last updated: 6/28/2026, 12:04:42 PM
avoid.net — verified advice for a post-truth world