The Ethereum Foundation (EF) completed a major organizational restructuring on June 23, 2026, reducing its workforce by 54 employees, or approximately 20% of its total staff. The move coincides with the creation of a new structure built around five operational clusters. At the same time, five former senior EF researchers launched Ethlabs, an independent research and development organization focused on Ethereum.

The restructuring marks an important shift in Ethereum's governance and development model. EF is increasingly positioning itself as one of the ecosystem's stewards rather than the sole central coordinator. Meanwhile, the emergence of Ethlabs signals that Ethereum's research talent and initiatives are becoming more distributed across independent organizations.

EF Reorganizes Into Five Clusters

According to an official announcement from the Ethereum Foundation, the restructuring is part of a months-long internal process aimed at aligning the organization with the EF Mandate and Treasury Management Policy.

Under its new structure, EF has divided its activities into five primary clusters: Protocol Layer, Access Layer, User Layer, Community Layer, and Institutional Layer. These are supported by operational teams and management functions that assist the organization's leadership.

The Protocol Layer will focus on strengthening and advancing Ethereum's core protocol, including scalability, security, privacy, censorship resistance, and reducing centralization risks within network infrastructure.

The Access Layer is designed to ensure users can read blockchain data, transact, verify information, delegate activities, and exit the system without excessive reliance on intermediaries. Meanwhile, the User Layer is responsible for ensuring that development decisions continue to reflect the needs of real users.

The Community Layer will oversee how EF engages with the Ethereum community and external stakeholders beyond the crypto ecosystem. The Institutional Layer will focus on relationships with institutions, including financial firms, non-financial corporations, governments, universities, and nonprofit organizations that may adopt Ethereum or cryptographic technologies.

As part of the restructuring, EF stated that 54 employees will leave the organization. They will receive transition support, including severance packages and assistance in finding new opportunities to contribute within the Ethereum ecosystem.

Five Former EF Researchers Launch Ethlabs

Amid the restructuring, five former senior Ethereum Foundation researchers launched Ethlabs, an independent nonprofit research and development organization. The founding team consists of Ansgar Dietrichs, Barnabé Monnot, Caspar Schwarz-Schilling, Josh Rudolf, and Julian Ma.

Ethlabs was established to strengthen Ethereum protocol research outside EF's direct organizational structure. The initiative is backed by several major ecosystem participants, including Bitmine Immersion Technologies, Sharplink, Ethereum co-founder and Consensys founder Joe Lubin, as well as contributors such as Anchorage, Octant, and SNZ.

Ethlabs' initial areas of focus include faster settlement, increasing mainnet capacity, cross-chain interoperability, native asset issuance, and research into ETH's monetary characteristics.

Ansgar Dietrichs, Executive Director of Ethlabs, stated that Ethereum is entering a critical phase as blockchain technology expands into broader institutional and on-chain economic use cases. Ethlabs is positioned as an independent environment where protocol researchers can continue pursuing long-term research initiatives.

The development also demonstrates that Ethereum's future is no longer dependent on a single central organization. Instead, technical contributions are increasingly distributed among multiple independent institutions with their own areas of focus and funding sources.

Impact on the Ethereum Ecosystem

The EF restructuring and the launch of Ethlabs can be viewed as part of Ethereum's transition toward a more organizationally decentralized development model. EF is becoming leaner and more focused on its core mandate, while other organizations assume greater responsibility for research, development, and institutional adoption.

From an ecosystem perspective, this development presents both opportunities and challenges. On one hand, the reduction in EF staff and departure of several senior researchers may raise concerns about protocol development coordination. Ethereum is a large and complex network with many stakeholders, making coordination among EF, core developers, Layer-2 projects, DeFi applications, wallets, and institutions increasingly challenging.

On the other hand, the creation of Ethlabs could strengthen Ethereum's long-term resilience. Researchers who previously worked within EF are not leaving Ethereum altogether but are instead creating new pathways for contribution outside the foundation's structure.

According to observers, this model may reduce Ethereum's dependence on any single organization. As long as coordination remains effective, the presence of multiple independent research groups could expand Ethereum's development capacity while preserving core principles such as decentralization, security, open-source development, privacy, and censorship resistance.

Ethereum Enters a More Distributed Development Era

The Ethereum Foundation's restructuring and the launch of Ethlabs represent a significant evolution in how Ethereum manages its long-term development. EF is transitioning into a leaner, more focused organization with a narrower and more selective mandate.

Meanwhile, Ethlabs serves as an example of how Ethereum development is increasingly being distributed across independent organizations. This shift could enhance the ecosystem's resilience, particularly if major contributors continue to align around a shared technical vision.

Nevertheless, coordination will remain a critical challenge. As more organizations participate in Ethereum's development, the need for clear communication, healthy division of responsibilities, and open governance becomes increasingly important.