Tomasz, a key figure in the Ethereum ecosystem and co-Executive Director (co-ED) of the Ethereum Foundation (EF), has announced his departure from the role, effective at the end of February 2026. In a detailed statement released today, Tomasz revealed that Bastian Aue will assume the co-ED position, working alongside Hsiao-Wei, marking a significant transition for the Foundation’s leadership. The announcement comes amidst a period of accelerated development and increasing institutional adoption for Ethereum, with Tomasz expressing strong optimism for the network’s future and the EF’s continued impact.
A Transformative Tenure and a Strategic Handover
Tomasz’s tenure as co-ED has been characterized by a drive to enhance the EF’s impact and desirability as a hub for talent and innovation. He emphasized the EF’s ability to foster significant change rapidly, attributing this to the high caliber of its personnel and a clear strategic direction for the coming years. "The co-ED position was extremely rewarding, strategically challenging, and brought me a lot of joy and inspiration," Tomasz stated, underscoring the personal fulfillment derived from the role. He highlighted the substantial support received from the broader Ethereum community, which he described as "tremendous."
The EF, under the co-ED leadership, has focused on several key objectives: accelerating decision-making processes, engaging with younger generations, revitalizing excitement within the builder community, enhancing open communication through social media and podcasts, fostering stronger institutional relationships, supporting founders, establishing robust treasury policies, strengthening local community hubs, introducing a clear compensation policy, clarifying the Layer 1 (L1) to Layer 2 (L2) relationship, and increasing transparency in budgets and organizational structure. Tomasz noted that many of these goals have either been achieved or are seeing consistent improvement, with the individuals responsible for these advancements continuing their vital work within the Ethereum ecosystem.
The Evolving Landscape of Ethereum
Tomasz articulated a compelling vision for Ethereum’s future, one that is increasingly intertwined with emerging technologies and global financial systems. He observed that Ethereum has solidified its position as the preferred infrastructure for institutional adoption, evidenced by its growing market share in stablecoins and Real World Asset (RWA) activity. Data from platforms tracking RWA tokenization consistently shows Ethereum leading the charge, with significant capital inflows and development activity. The network’s credibility, rooted in its decentralization, credible neutrality, and an unbroken uptime record since its inception, presents institutions with an infrastructure characterized by uniquely low counterparty, technological, and jurisdictional risks. This has positioned Ethereum as the "lowest-risk chain" in the eyes of many established financial entities.
The convergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced financial systems is creating an unprecedented environment for innovation on Ethereum. Tomasz pointed to the rapid advancements in open-source Large Language Models (LLMs) and the emergence of agentic workers as key drivers of this evolution. These developments, he believes, will unlock new possibilities for automated interactions and novel forms of coordination. The prospect of witnessing robots, advanced governance models, and AI applications in healthcare and education, all underpinned by Ethereum, paints a picture of a network poised to become the natural infrastructure layer for these interacting technologies.
The cypherpunk ethos of Ethereum remains a cornerstone, with a strong focus on privacy and security. The network is increasingly seen as the foundational infrastructure for verification and financial transactions, attracting top talent in privacy preservation and security to ensure its continued integrity and user protection. The upcoming institutional Ethereum conference in New York is a testament to this growing integration into global financial centers.
The Ethereum Foundation’s Strategic Trajectory
The Ethereum Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the development and growth of the Ethereum protocol, has been instrumental in navigating these advancements. Tomasz’s departure marks a significant leadership transition, but he conveyed confidence in the Foundation’s robust state and its capacity to balance long-term objectives with the imperative for change. He described the EF as "unique, far from boring, very resilient, and led by highly intelligent people."
Looking ahead to 2026, the EF is set to release a proposal for a merged LEAN Ethereum and core development roadmap. This initiative aims to delineate a clear long-term trajectory for the Ethereum protocol, providing essential guidance and a framework for coordination. Following the successful delivery of two network upgrades in 2025, supported by EF coordination teams, core developers are well-positioned to continue delivering critical protocol improvements.
Significant strategic initiatives are underway. The EF is actively pursuing a robust quantum strategy, with leading quantum security researchers finalizing specifications and top engineers developing implementations for post-quantum security. This proactive approach addresses a critical long-term threat to cryptographic systems. Furthermore, a dedicated decentralized AI team is actively developing standards, experiments, and solutions for the burgeoning agentic economy.
The Ecosystem Development (EcoDev) team is focused on empowering founders, institutions, and governments building on Ethereum, supported by a dedicated Global Policy Support team. The increasing automation of EF efforts through AI for coordination is enhancing efficiency. Clearer communication regarding roadmaps, use cases, and applications is being facilitated by the teams at ethereum.org and forkcast.org.
A major point of discussion and a key challenge over the past year has been the L1-L2 relationship. Recent analyses, including those by Vitalik Buterin, have sought to provide clarity on the complex interplay between Ethereum’s base layer and its scaling solutions. L2s extend Ethereum’s capabilities, offering diverse trade-offs in security and decentralization to achieve improvements in scaling, user experience, and other parameters. The EF has established a Platform team to foster dialogue among over 20 Ethereum L2s, discussing the future of scaling, differentiation, and interoperability. Evidence suggests a trend where major Ethereum rollups are increasingly surpassing alternative L1s in stablecoin and transactions per second (TPS) metrics, a trajectory Tomasz believes will persist.
Despite increasing openness to applications and the institutional space, the EF remains anchored to its cypherpunk values. Groups like Vitalik Buterin’s Silviculture Society advise senior leadership on emerging risks and potential pitfalls. The work of Privacy and Scaling Explorations (PSE) and Kohaku is currently focused on applied privacy solutions, while the Protocol team dedicates significant effort to security and censorship resistance through programs like FOCIL and the Trillion Dollar Security initiative.
The upcoming Devcon in Mumbai is anticipated to convene global blockchain thought leaders and founders to collaborate on Ethereum’s future. The Indian community’s long-standing anticipation for this event underscores its significance. The EF is also enhancing its outreach to the next generation of builders, with new voices and dedicated teams working with founders and media to foster excitement, particularly around the integration of agentic AI and Ethereum as its trusted infrastructure.
The "Ethereum Everywhere" initiative continues to support hubs in San Francisco, Lagos, London, Berlin, and Hong Kong. The Academic Secretariat plans numerous university events, the pop-up cities concept maintains momentum, and global networking opportunities for builders and thought leaders are expanding. The DeFi coordination team is poised to release its plans and roadmap, bolstered by new talent brought into the EF to support the DeFi ecosystem.
Leadership Transition and Future Roles
The transition in leadership at the EF is designed to ensure continuity and sustained growth. Hsiao-Wei will continue in her role, upholding the established vision. Bastian Aue’s expanded leadership alongside Hsiao-Wei signals a strengthened executive team. The broader EcoDev transformation, encompassing builders, founders, and institutions, has been significantly driven by James Smith, who remains committed to his mission. Policy support and long-term initiatives will continue under the leadership of Bastian Aue and Tju Liang. Josh Stark’s operational expertise and contributions to social media communication have been pivotal, and he will continue to influence EF operations. The Protocol cluster, comprising engineers and researchers, is demonstrating enhanced collaboration and confidence in setting future roadmaps and tackling complex technological challenges.
Tomasz’s Future Endeavors
Reflecting on his personal trajectory, Tomasz expressed a desire to remain actively involved in driving progress within the Ethereum ecosystem. His Direct Messages (DMs) will remain open for individuals seeking support in connecting with EF personnel or discussing Ethereum’s vision and strategy. He also anticipates offering advisory support to EF leadership when needed, acknowledging that he has frequently received valuable guidance from them. A persistent theme in his future plans is the commitment to pushing the Ethereum ecosystem to operate at an accelerated pace.
Tomasz intends to continue traveling and engaging with local communities, assisting businesses in building on Ethereum. His focus will shift towards more hands-on product building, particularly in agentic core development and agentic governance. This direction echoes his experience when co-founding Nethermind in 2017, a period he described as a time of significant impending change where he recognized Ethereum’s potential to transform financial systems. He now sees agentic systems and AI-assisted discovery as equally transformative forces, embracing the "playful experimentation" that characterized early Ethereum innovation, even while acknowledging the potential impermanence of some ideas.
His commitment to working directly with founders in frontier technologies and within Ethereum remains strong. Tomasz aims to support the realization of visions he has championed over recent years, viewing the current period as one of the most exciting times for builders on the Ethereum network.
Acknowledgment and Gratitude
Tomasz concluded his statement with profound gratitude to the myriad individuals and groups who have contributed to his journey and the progress of Ethereum. He acknowledged the impossibility of listing everyone who has provided support, highlighting over 20 countries visited and thousands of interactions with builders, financiers, educators, policymakers, creators, and researchers.
He expressed heartfelt thanks to the EF board for the opportunity to serve as co-ED alongside Hsiao-Wei. Appreciation was extended to Hsiao-Wei and the management team for their swift and collaborative efforts. Special recognition was given to Bastian Aue, Josh Stark, and Tju Liang for their emotional intelligence and facilitation of critical discussions. Joe Schweitzer was thanked for his contributions to broader communication efforts.
Tomasz also extended his gratitude to hundreds of Ethereum leaders who reached out in March and April 2025 with insights and strategic recommendations, emphasizing their crucial role in shaping his path. Finally, he thanked every individual at the Ethereum Foundation for their dedication and execution, reinforcing the collective effort that drives the ecosystem forward.
