The shake-up comes as Ethereum's reputation among builders has soured in recent months. Members of the broader crypto community are flocking to fast and cheap competitors like Solana, which has been quicker to accommodate the recent memecoin fervor.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin reaffirmed his authority over the Ethereum Foundation in an X post on Jan. 21, in which he dismissed all calls for a leadership shakeup. Buterin said that the decision remains his until planned reforms to introduce a “proper board” and criticized certain crypto community members for “actively toxic to top

Ethereum core developer Eric Conner announced his departure from the community, citing his discontent with the Ethereum Foundation (EF) leadership decisions