Ethereum Foundation Lays Off R&D Staff, Restructures Under ‘Protocol’ Banner

The Ethereum Foundation has laid off members of its research and development team and restructured its Protocol Research and Development division, now rebranded as simply “Protocol,” as it looks to sharpen focus on scaling and usability.

In a blog post published Monday, the Foundation said the changes are meant to support “a new level of focus and collaboration” as Ethereum enters what it called “its best shot at deploying not only our technology, but our values, at planetary scale.”

To deliver on that vision, the Foundation is aligning Protocol around three priorities — “scale L1, scale blobs, improve UX.”

Each area is now mapped to a strategic initiative and leadership team, meant to ensure greater accountability and resource focus.

Announcing Protocolhttps://t.co/LMANvhQ0X3

— Ethereum Foundation (@ethereumfndn) June 2, 2025

‘Protocol’ Division to Operate With Streamlined Teams Following Staff Reductions

The Foundation said: “The changes we’re announcing today are a departure from our previous ways of working, but we feel these set us on a more responsive and effective path.” It added, “Protocol is now a more united and leaner organization with more focused teams.”

As part of the restructuring, “some members of PR&D won’t be continuing with the Ethereum Foundation.” The Foundation encouraged others in the community to hire those affected, saying, “We hope these individuals continue on in the Ethereum ecosystem.”

Ethereum Foundation Appoints Leaders Across Key Focus Areas

The leadership team now includes Tim Beiko and Ansgar Dietrichs, who will focus on Layer 1 scaling. Meanwhile, Alex Stokes and Francesco D’Amato will lead efforts on Layer 2 scaling. In addition, Barnabé Monnot and Josh Rudolf will oversee improvements in user experience. Dankrad Feist will serve as a strategic advisor across all three areas.

The blog also noted the importance of execution, saying, “Each of these goals is now mapped to a strategic initiative for Protocol, a shared workspace to bring our complementary talents together.”

As Ethereum’s technical roadmap grows more complex, the need for faster iteration is also increasing. In response, the Foundation pointed to the importance of tighter collaboration. It noted: “Rapidly transitioning research into prototypes and to production means that we need tighter collaboration and feedback loops.”

The Ethereum Foundation is now inviting new contributors to join Protocol, particularly for open roles such as a UX Lead and a Performance Engineering Lead. “Let’s do it together. Let’s ship Protocol,” the post concluded.