Ethereum Enters Multi-Node Future with Restructured Foundation

The Ethereum ecosystem is undergoing significant changes, with multiple organizations emerging to drive its development. The Ethereum Foundation (EF) has restructured its organizational form, focusing on protocol governance and credible neutrality.

As part of this shift, the EF has established Ethlabs as an independent non-profit R&D organization, which will focus on preparing Ethereum for the next phase of demands, including institutional adoption, agentic finance, DeFi, stablecoins, and RWA. The organization is financially supported by Bitmine, Sharplink, Joe Lubin, SNZ, and others.

Vitalik Buterin and EF Chair Aya Miyaguchi discussed the future direction of the EF in two conversations at ETH HK Hub on April 21. They emphasized the importance of a pluralistic landscape with multiple focused nodes working in synergy within the ecosystem.

Aya Miyaguchi introduced the concept of the 'Walk-away Test', stating that the EF's long-term goal is to allow the entire system to continue functioning even without the EF itself. She explained that if the foundation builds everything for the entire ecosystem, participants will become dependent and competition will weaken.