On January 21, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin responded to growing online criticism of the leadership of the Ethereum Foundation (EF), especially its CEO, Aya Miyaguchi.
In a strongly worded post on X (formerly Twitter), Buterin made it clear that he alone was responsible for decisions regarding EF’s leadership, and warned that constant pressure via social media “creates a toxic environment for top talent.”
No, that’s not how this game works.
The person who decides the new leadership team for EF is me. One of the goals of the ongoing reform is to give the EF a “proper board,” but until that happens, I will remain me.
If you “keep pushing”, you create an environment…
— Vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) January 21, 2025
Vitalik Buterin’s strong refutation
The controversy began during the ongoing debate over the leadership structure of the Ethereum Foundation. Critics, including prominent voices in the Ethereum community, have called for changes. They raised questions about Miyaguchi’s leadership approach, citing her incompetence. Some have gone above and beyond and threatened to kill themselves, which is pure evil.
Pure evil. pic.twitter.com/mzCmOteu5r
— Vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) January 21, 2025
Miyaguchi’s online campaign also included a direct call for her resignation, with some claiming that influential figures in the Ethereum space had previously made leadership changes. One user under the alias Tetranode suggested that they played a role in the expulsion of former EF members.
In response, Vitalik Buterin criticized the campaign as a toxic approach. He said: No. That’s not how this game works. The person who decides the new leadership team for EF is me. One of the goals of the ongoing reform is to give the EF a “proper board,” but until that happens, I will remain me.”
Buterin warned that targeted attacks on Miyaguchi and other EF executives make it difficult for Ethereum to retain top talent. He revealed that some of Ethereum’s top developers have privately expressed their dissatisfaction with the hostile online environment.
Earlier, Vitalik revealed his plan to restructure the Ethereum Foundation. He shared the core goals of the leadership reform, which has been ongoing for nearly a year. These goals include:
- Enhance technical expertise within EF leadership.
- Strengthen communication between EF and the broader Ethereum ecosystem.
- Bring in new talent to improve execution and agility.
- Supporting application developers while promoting Ethereum’s core values such as privacy, open source development, and resistance to censorship.
- Expanding the use of Ethereum for decentralized, privacy-preserving technologies.
Read also: Justin Sun talks about the decline in the price of Ethereum; Who is selling?
