Vitalik Buterin has addressed calls for and rejects changes at the Ethereum Foundation to demand for the resignation of executive director Aya Miyaguchi and criticism of pressure campaigns targeting the organization.
His comments were in response to tweets from traders and industry players including CoinMamba, Tetranode and Evan Van Ness, who argued that the appointment of Danny Ryan as EF leader would address concerns over development priorities and decision-making.
Buterin stated:
“That’s not how this game works. The person who will define the new EF leadership team is me.”
According to the EF website, the board consists of just three members: Vitalik Buterin, Aya Miyaguchi and Patrick Storchenegger.
Buterin warned that orchestrating the push on social media could undermine Ethereum’s culture and push away contributors. Stressing that any leadership transition would require thoughtful steps rather than public confrontations, he said:
“If you ‘keep the pressure on’ you create an environment that is actively toxic to top talent. Some of Ethereum’s top developers recently messaged me expressing their disgust at the social media environment that people like you are creating. YOU MAKE MY WORK HARDER.”
CoinMamba had suggested that Miyaguchi’s departure could increase Ethereum’s price, while Tetranode openly threatened long-term efforts to oust leaders he deemed unsuitable. Buterin countered that this approach damages morale and discourages high-caliber talent from engaging with the Ethereum ecosystem.
Ethereum reform
The tension follows Buterin’s recent one comments outlining an overhaul of the Ethereum Foundation’s leadership structure. He emphasized on improving technical expertise, fostering stronger collaboration with ecosystem participants, and recruiting new contributors that align with Ethereum’s open source values. He also emphasized that a change in management would not transform the Foundation into a centralized or politically driven organization.
Some community members see leadership disputes as the culmination of broader disagreements over the Foundation’s role. Critics have questioned the group’s transparency, citing previous symbolic movessuch as when the Foundation moved $72 million worth of ETH to Kraken in January 2025.
Others have cited delays in the Dencun upgrade, which introduced “blob-carrying transactions” to fine-tune data processing. The staggered rollout has caused friction among some participants, who are impatient for faster progress.
EF changes and for-profit requirements
While some want the Foundation to take a more top-down approach, Buterin insisted that Ethereum should remain decentralized, with the EF focusing on initiatives it can manage effectively. He noted that for-profit groups can better serve other goals and pushed back against the idea that the EF should feel compelled to address every community problem. Critics such as Evan Van Ness acknowledged Buterin’s position, but emphasized that naming Ryan as Miyaguchi’s successor would calm tensions.
Buterin indicated that the EF would continue its mission while encouraging alternative organizations to take on roles that the Foundation could not easily fill. Buterin’s messages did not indicate an immediate rollback of leadership plans or personnel changes, although he reaffirmed his control over EF’s board until there was a proposed “real board.”
He also highlighted the commentsand labeled them “pure evil” because they contained vulgar memes, calls for bullying Aya and discussions to “kill Aya.”
He emphasized that promoting a healthy developer environment remains a priority and urged critics to consider the long-term consequences of public campaigns. He offered no further timeline for structural changes, leaving unresolved the question of when and if the Foundation will change leadership.