SAEDNEWS: Stark Leaves Ethereum Foundation, Marking Most Significant Departure Since Major Q1 2025 Changes
According to the Science and Technology Service of Saed News Agency, citing Cointelegraph, Stark did not provide a specific reason for his decision. In a post on the social network X, he wrote:
“I have no plans for the future. I intend to take some time off and focus on my family and friends. The Ethereum ecosystem has repeatedly done things the world thought were impossible. It is very easy to forget how much real fear and doubt there was that Ethereum would never launch, that decentralized finance (DeFi) would never work, or that proof of stake would never be implemented.”
Josh Stark’s tweet
He is one of four individuals listed under “management” in the organizational chart, to whom nearly all Foundation staff report. Stark’s departure from the Ethereum Foundation marks the most significant exit from the organization since Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin announced sweeping leadership changes and a new direction for the Foundation in 2025. A day earlier, another Foundation member, Trent Van Epps, also announced his resignation last week.
In January 2025, Vitalik Buterin responded to growing criticism from the Ethereum community regarding the ecosystem’s long-term direction by announcing major changes at the Ethereum Foundation.
Hiring new talent, increasing decentralization, and developing the protocol to improve transaction capacity and speed were among the key goals outlined by Buterin.
However, he emphasized that the Ethereum Foundation would not engage in ideological disputes, would not lobby U.S. regulators in Washington, and would not represent “special interests.” He added:
“These are not things the Ethereum Foundation does, and that will not change. Those who disagree can create their own organization.”
Vitalik Buterin’s tweet
In March 2025, the Ethereum Foundation officially introduced its new leadership structure, appointing Hsiao-Wei Wang (Ethereum Foundation researcher) and Tomasz Stanczak (CEO of Nethermind, one of Ethereum’s execution clients) as co-executive directors.
Stanczak stepped down from his role in February 2026, while Wang remains a member of the Ethereum Foundation’s governing board.
