Another Key Ethereum Developer Departs the Project

Leading Ethereum developer Eric Conner has announced his departure from the project, citing issues with the leadership of the non-profit Ethereum Foundation (EF).

I am no longer a dot eth

Perhaps some day those in leadership roles will realign with the community but for now, I am out

Deep down, I truly hope Ethereum succeeds

Good luck

— Eric Conner (@econoar) January 21, 2025

“I am no longer .eth. Perhaps someday those in leadership roles will align with the community, but for now, I am leaving. Deep down, I truly hope Ethereum succeeds. Good luck,” wrote the programmer who worked in the ecosystem for 11 years.

According to Conner, he will focus on projects at the intersection of cryptocurrencies and artificial intelligence. Initially, he will join the team behind the development of the “sovereign” AI agent Freysa.

His post followed a statement from Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, who said that all decisions regarding changes in EF management are made solely by him.

No. This is not how this game works.

The person deciding the new EF leadership team is me. One of the goals of the ongoing reform is to give the EF a “proper board”, but until that happens it’s me.

If you “keep the pressure on”, then you are creating an environment that is…

— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) January 21, 2025

“The person who determines the new EF leadership team is me. One of the goals of the current reform is to create a ‘proper board’ within the organization, but until that happens, it will be me,” Buterin emphasized.

On January 18, he announced “significant changes” in the foundation’s management amid growing criticism of the organization’s activities. Buterin also outlined the structure’s goals, which largely coincided with expressed wishes.

Part of the community speculated that this referred to the resignation of the current EF CEO Aya Miyaguchi, with a popular idea being to replace her with former Ethereum researcher Danny Ryan.

Buterin quoted their calls to continue the pressure for leadership change and recalled Conner’s support for Ryan’s candidacy. On January 15, the programmer wrote that otherwise “the time for rebellion will come.”

“If you ‘keep the pressure on’, you are creating an environment that is actively toxic for top talents. Some of the best Ethereum developers recently expressed to me in correspondence their disgust with the atmosphere created by people like you on social media. You are making my job harder. And only reducing the chance of me having any interest in doing ‘what you want’,” Buterin stated.

In December, developer Max Reznik from the ConsenSys team announced his departure from the Ethereum ecosystem to the Solana project Anza, citing disappointment with the development direction of the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization.

Back in September, Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson called Ethereum “Buterin’s dictatorship.”