Fresh Ethereum Foundation drama flares following core dev’s departure
The Ethereum Foundation (EF) is facing more community backlash, this time in the wake of influential developer Dankrad Feist’s announcement that he was leaving to join payments-focused Tempo, backed by Stripe and Paradigm.
The high-profile departure raised concerns about Ethereum’s ability to compete with VC-backed networks like Tempo, and sparked debate about whether the EF sufficiently values top talent.
Read more: Ethereum Foundation’s response to community backlash — dump more ETH
Tempo vs. Ethereum
While Fiest’s post claims, “Ethereum and Tempo are strongly aligned,” observers don’t see it that way. One called the outcome “doubly bad,” given Feist’s focus on scaling solutions at the EF.
Another predicts that Tempo will “ship faster, be quicker and have better distribution via Stripe’s integrations,” and that rather than competing on payments, Ethereum should focus on becoming “the cypherpunk chain.”
Paradigm founder Matt Huang insists meanwhile that “Tempo will be a permissionless chain,” but will launch with a “permissioned validator set to get going and decentralize further from there.”
However, Columbia Business School’s Omid Malekan argues that “permissioned networks do not provide validators the plausible deniability required for a chain to be neutral” and transitioning from one to the other is unlikely.
The bigger picture
Since Friday, the debate has widened, drawing influential industry voices and even former EF collaborators.
Polygon Foundation CEO Sandeep Nailwal weighed in, saying he’s “started questioning my loyalty toward Ethereum.”
He describes feeling a “moral loyalty towards Ethereum” but claims that the community is a “shit show.”
Nailwal also points out hypocrisy: “When Polymarket wins big, it’s ‘Ethereum,’ but Polygon itself is not Ethereum. Mind-boggling.”
“Major” contributors “are forced to question or even regret their allegiance,” he lamented.
In June, Péter Szilágyi, former key developer for the Go-ethereum (Geth) client, criticized the EF after being fired.
He also weighed in on the current “existential crises,” copying a letter sent to leadership in May 2024. Many have focused on the comparatively low pay cited in the letter.
Read more: Ethereum Foundation under scrutiny as Geth dev speaks out on firing
Indeed, Szilágyi recognizes the predicament for workers who “set out to build something great, but we will readily shed all our principles the moment there’s (enough) money on the table.”
Last year, Feist and then-colleague Justin Drake came under scrutiny for conflicts of interest when announcing advisory roles at EigenLayer.
Read more: Ethereum Foundation blasted for EigenLayer conflicts of interest
Vitalik’s response
Vitalik Buterin has played peacemaker, noting Polygon’s successes as a network and Nailwal’s contributions, especially to philanthropic initiatives.
He also praised Feist’s “immensely valuable contributions” including the Danksharding scaling design.
Read more: Vitalik to Ethereum Foundation critics: ‘This is not how this game works’
Buterin fielded a wave of criticism early this year, which resulted in a shakeup of the foundation and a deployment of treasury funds across decentralized finance projects.
Despite the changes, this latest departure suggests that issues at the EF remain.
Got a tip? Send us an email securely via Protos Leaks. For more informed news, follow us on X, Bluesky, and Google News, or subscribe to our YouTube channel.