Vitalik Buterin reaffirms his authority over Ethereum Foundation amid leadership debate

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has rejected calls for a leadership shakeup within the Ethereum Foundation, asserting his sole authority over the organization’s decision-making.

In a strongly worded post on X on January 21, Buterin dismissed demands for changes and condemned the harassment of current executive director Aya Miyaguchi.

vitalik.eth on X: "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" / X

Leadership Dispute Sparks Controversy

The controversy arose from community pressure to elevate Ethereum researcher and developer Danny Ryan to a leadership position within the foundation.

Proponents of Ryan cited his pivotal contributions to Ethereum’s transition from proof-of-work (PoW) to proof-of-stake (PoS), framing him as a strong candidate to guide the foundation’s future.

Buterin, however, firmly stated that leadership decisions remain his responsibility until planned reforms to establish a formal board are implemented.

“The person deciding the new EF leadership team is me,” he wrote, adding that undue pressure from the community undermines the project’s progress.

Toxic Behavior Draws Condemnation

The debate has exposed toxic behavior within the Ethereum community, with Miyaguchi becoming the target of online harassment, including death threats.

Buterin called such actions “pure evil” and warned that they risk alienating key contributors to Ethereum’s ecosystem.

“Some of Ethereum’s best developers have messaged me, expressing their disgust with the social media environment,” Buterin stated. “You are creating an environment that is actively toxic to top talent.”

Buterin’s Vision for Ethereum Foundation

Buterin’s recent comments contrast with a January 18 announcement in which he unveiled plans to improve communication between the Ethereum Foundation and the broader ecosystem.

The proposed reforms include better support for decentralized application (DApp) developers, censorship resistance, and privacy.

However, Buterin clarified that the foundation would not engage in political lobbying or significantly increase its central role in ecosystem development.

While these reforms aim to decentralize decision-making, Buterin’s January 21 remarks emphasize that, for now, leadership decisions remain firmly in his hands.