Ethereum Foundation Faces More Departures as Two Researchers Step Down

The Ethereum Foundation is seeing another round of departures after researchers Carl Beek and Julian Ma announced they are leaving the organization. Their exits add to a growing list of resignations that has raised fresh questions about changes inside Ethereum’s core development structure.

Carl Beek, who spent seven years at the foundation, is widely known for helping build Ethereum’s Beacon Chain, a major part of the network’s transition to proof-of-stake in 2020. In a public message, Beek thanked Ethereum researchers, developers and community members for their support during his time at the organization. He also shared that family priorities played a role, saying he recently welcomed a one-year-old child with his wife. His final working day is expected to be May 29.

Ethereum Protocol Team Sees Leadership Changes

Julian Ma is also stepping down after nearly four years, following work focused on Ethereum’s mechanism design, protocol scaling and cryptoeconomics. Among his major contributions were co-authoring FOCIL (EIP-7805), designed to improve censorship resistance, and helping launch the Fast Confirmation Rule, which reduced transfer times between Ethereum Layer 2 networks and the main blockchain to around 13 seconds.

Growing Ethereum Foundation Restructuring

The resignations follow earlier departures by Protocol team leaders Barnabé Monnot, Tim Beiko and Alex Stokes, along with former co-executive director Tomasz K. Stańczak and longtime executive Josh Stark. The foundation has been restructuring since 2025 as Ethereum faces stronger competition and community pressure over scaling, governance and ecosystem support.