Ethereum Foundation loses nine researchers

The Ethereum Foundation is facing a new round of scrutiny after at least nine researchers left the organization in 2026, according to Unchained. The latest reported departures include senior solutions architect Pablo Voorvaart and protocol researchers Carl Beekhuizen and Julian Ma. CoinDesk reported on May 20 that the exits had triggered a fresh debate inside Ethereum circles about governance and direction. (unchainedcrypto.com) The foundation sits at the center of Ethereum’s technical coordination, even though the network itself is developed by a wider set of independent teams. (finance.yahoo.com) ### Who left most recently? Unchained reported that Carl Beekhuizen and Julian Ma announced their resignations on Monday, May 18, and Pablo Voorvaart followed on Tuesday, May 19. (coindesk.com) The outlet said those exits brought the number of Ethereum Foundation researcher departures in 2026 to at least nine. Carl Beekhuizen is known for work tied to Ethereum’s Beacon Chain, while Julian Ma worked on mechanism design, crypto-economics and protocol scaling, according to a separate report carried by Yahoo Finance from CryptoProwl. Pablo Voorvaart was identified by Unchained as a senior solutions architect. ### Why are people focused on the number nine? (unchainedcrypto.com) Unchained said the pace of exits, rather than any single resignation, is what pushed the story into a wider public debate. The outlet wrote that nine departures had fueled concern about the foundation’s internal stability and its ability to coordinate upcoming work, including network upgrades such as Glamsterdam. (unchainedcrypto.com) CoinDesk described the departures as “high-profile” and said they had sparked a fresh debate. That framing matched the reaction on social platform X cited by Unchained, where DeFi researcher Ignas asked, “What’s happening at the EF?” as community members pressed for more explanation. (finance.yahoo.com) ### Which earlier exits are part of the same wave? Tomasz Stańczak stepped down as co-executive director in February 2026, according to Yahoo Finance’s summary of the departures. Josh Stark resigned in March, and the same report listed Barnabé Monnot and Tim Beiko among other high-profile leaders who had recently left the foundation. (unchainedcrypto.com) Unchained also tied the latest exits to a broader period of strain that followed unrest in 2024 and a restructuring effort in 2025. In June 2025, the foundation said it had cut staff and rebranded its research and development division as “Protocol,” saying it wanted to tighten focus on core protocol work and streamline what it called a “messy” R&D process. (coindesk.com) ### What has the foundation said before about restructuring? The Ethereum Foundation said in June 2025 that changes to its R&D division were intended to make the organization “more responsive and effective.” That announcement came after Aya Miyaguchi became foundation president in February 2025 as part of a leadership restructuring, Unchained reported at the time. (finance.yahoo.com) Those earlier changes matter because the current departures are being read against that reorganization. CoinDesk and Unchained both linked the latest exits to a wider argument inside the Ethereum community over how the foundation should operate and communicate. (unchainedcrypto.com) ### What are Ethereum insiders arguing about now? Ryan Berckmans, identified by Unchained as an Ethereum community member and investor, argued that differences over “substrategies and policies” were natural and said the foundation remained focused on long-term goals including post-quantum security and scaling. Ryan Sean Adams of Bankless, also quoted by Unchained, said the community needed an organization that wanted “ETH the asset to win.” (unchainedcrypto.com) Banteg, another prominent community figure cited by Unchained, wrote that “all three ef protocol leads have left,” while other participants argued Ethereum should rely less on the foundation. Those comments do not establish the cause of the departures, but they show how the resignations are being discussed by people active in the ecosystem. (coindesk.com) ### What comes next for the foundation? May 29 is Carl Beekhuizen’s reported last day at the Ethereum Foundation, according to a report surfaced in search results summarizing his resignation. Unchained said community attention is now fixed on whether the foundation explains the exits and how it staffs work tied to future upgrades, including Glamsterdam. (phemex.com) (unchainedcrypto.com)