- Ethereum’s Management Crisis in Full Swing
- Core Governance Structures of Ethereum
- Management Structure of the Ethereum Foundation
Ethereum’s Management Crisis in Full Swing
The management crisis in Ethereum is reaching its peak as Eric Conner, a prominent Ethereum core developer, has left the ecosystem after nearly 11 years of involvement. Conner cited Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin’s refusal to consider a leadership restructuring as the reason for his departure.
Conner is co-author of EIP-1559, a pivotal network upgrade that redefined transaction fee mechanisms in Ethereum. While not officially employed by Ethereum, Conner has served as a consultant, investor, and key figure driving the ecosystem’s development since its inception.
In a follow-up post on X, Conner announced that he has joined Fresya.AI, a protocol focused on artificial intelligence.
Conner’s dissatisfaction stems from Buterin’s decision to maintain the current leadership structure within the Ethereum Foundation, which oversees the development of the world’s second-largest blockchain by market capitalization. Buterin responded on X, expressing his intention to eventually establish a “board” to manage the foundation but confirmed that he remains the current leader. His remarks come amidst growing calls from ecosystem stakeholders for leadership changes, with founding member Anthony Donofrio arguing that Ethereum has strayed from its original path.
Ethereum, as one of the leading blockchain platforms, employs a distinctive governance model that diverges from traditional centralized structures. Its approach is rooted in decentralization and the active participation of network stakeholders, enabling collaborative decision-making regarding protocol development and updates.
Core Governance Structures of Ethereum
Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs):
The core mechanism of governance in Ethereum revolves around EIPs—improvement proposals that can be submitted by any community member. These documents outline changes or additions to the Ethereum protocol and go through a multi-stage process of discussion and evaluation before being implemented on the network.
Governance Participants:
Various groups are involved in Ethereum’s governance:
- Client Teams: These teams develop and maintain the software necessary for the network’s functionality. They play a crucial role in proposing and implementing changes.
- Validator Operators: Validators wield significant influence by voting on the software versions they choose to run.
- Decentralized Application (dApp) Developers: These developers build features and implement updates based on user needs.
Forums and Discussions:
Discussions on EIPs and other governance matters take place across platforms such as GitHub, Discord, and Ethereum Magicians. These forums serve as spaces for consensus-building among developers and community members.
Decision-Making Process
Decision-Making Process:
The decision-making process in Ethereum includes several key stages:
- EIP Proposal: Any participant can propose an improvement.
- Discussion: The proposal is debated within the community through various channels.
- Review: Client teams evaluate the proposal and provide feedback.
- Validator Voting: Ultimately, validators decide which changes to adopt by updating their software to support the new features.
Management Structure of the Ethereum Foundation
The Ethereum Foundation (EF) plays a pivotal role in the Ethereum ecosystem, providing support and resources to drive platform development.
Currently, the EF Board of Directors consists of:
- Vitalik Buterin (Co-founder of Ethereum)
- Aya Miyaguchi (Executive Director)
- Patrick Storchenegger (Board Member)
The EF has faced increasing criticism from the community for its slow response to issues such as transaction speeds and developer engagement. Some community members are calling for more proactive leadership and faster implementation of updates. In response, Buterin emphasizes the importance of maintaining a decentralized approach and avoiding political involvement that could compromise Ethereum’s neutrality as a global platform.
Despite this, Vitalik Buterin has announced an ongoing major reorganization of the EF, a process that has been underway for about a year. He highlighted that these changes aim to attract new talent and improve support for application developers.
The structural reforms within the EF could mark a turning point for the foundation. Buterin stated that until the reforms are completed, he will make all management decisions. However, he also stressed the need to establish a “proper board” to ensure more balanced leadership in the future.