Ethereum Foundation cuts 20% of staff and 40% of its budget in a sweeping reset
The Ethereum Foundation eliminated 54 roles — about 20% of its staff — and slashed its 2026 budget by 40%, reorganizing into five protocol clusters amid a wave of leadership departures.
The Ethereum Foundation announced on June 23 that it has eliminated 54 positions — roughly 20% of its approximately 270-person workforce — and cut its 2026 operating budget by 40%. The remaining organization is being reshaped into five domain-focused clusters plus dedicated operations and management functions.
The move marks a deliberate pivot away from the Foundation's historical role as Ethereum's central development engine toward a narrower mandate as protocol overseer. Annual spend currently runs at about 15% of treasury assets; under a new endowment model, the target is to bring that down to roughly 5% by 2030.
The restructuring caps a months-long leadership exodus. Around nine senior figures have left over the past six months, including both co-executive directors — Tomasz Stanczak in February and Hsiao-Wei Wang on June 18, just five days before the announcement.
Departing employees will receive severance of at least one month's salary per year of service, a retirement payment, and access to a support fund with career coaching and ecosystem placement help.