TLDR:
Stańczak will step down as Ethereum Foundation co-Executive Director at the end of February 2026.
The foundation delivered two network upgrades in 2025 and established clear quantum security strategies.
Over 20 Ethereum Layer 2 projects convened to discuss scaling, interoperability, and differentiation.
Stańczak plans to continue as core developer focusing on agentic development and governance systems.
Tomasz K. Stańczak announced his resignation as co-Executive Director of the Ethereum Foundation, effective at the end of February 2026.
Bastian Aue will assume the co-ED position alongside Hsiao-Wei Wang, continuing the dual leadership structure. Stańczak shared details through a blog post and promised to address community questions at ETHDenver and upcoming podcasts. The transition marks a planned shift after a transformative year for the organization.
Achievements During Tenure at Ethereum Foundation
Stańczak’s time as co-Executive Director saw rapid organizational changes and strategic improvements across multiple areas.
In his announcement, he stated the outlook remains positive, noting “the future is bright for builders, for Ethereum, for the EF, and for me.”
The foundation accelerated its decision-making processes while becoming more accessible to institutions and the broader builder community.
Compensation policies were introduced, treasury management was strengthened, and communication channels expanded significantly through social media and podcast engagements.
The organization made substantial progress on key initiatives during 2025. Two network upgrades were delivered successfully, demonstrating the core development team’s execution capabilities.
The foundation also established clear quantum security strategies, with leading researchers finalizing specifications and engineers working on implementations. Post-quantum security now holds a defined position within the protocol roadmap.
New specialized teams emerged to address evolving needs within the ecosystem. A dedicated decentralized AI team began delivering standards and solutions for the agentic economy.
The EcoDev team focused specifically on supporting founders, institutions, and governments building on Ethereum. A Global Policy Support team was formed to handle regulatory and policy matters across jurisdictions.
The relationship between Layer 1 and Layer 2 solutions received significant attention throughout the year. The foundation created a Platform team and convened over 20 Ethereum L2 projects at Network School to discuss scaling, differentiation, and interoperability.
Teams working on based rollups, native rollups, and synchronous composability started 2026 with clearer directions.
Major Ethereum rollups increasingly outperformed alternative Layer 1 chains in stablecoin activity and transaction throughput.
Transition and Future Direction
Stańczak expressed confidence in the foundation’s current state and future trajectory. He noted that leadership within the organization had grown more capable of independent decision-making and ownership.
The roadmap became clearer, goals were established, and the organization achieved a healthy balance between long-term objectives and necessary adaptations.
He emphasized that many critical organizational improvements have either been completed or show consistent progress.
The foundation plans to release a merged LEAN Ethereum and core development roadmap proposal soon. This document will outline the long-term protocol evolution path that the Protocol team supports.
It aims to provide coordination guidance for 2026 and beyond, building on the momentum from recent network upgrades. The proposal will address essential protocol improvements and coordination strategies for core developers.
Stańczak announced plans to continue contributing to Ethereum through different channels. He intends to work more directly as a core developer and product builder, focusing on agentic core development and governance systems.
His direct messages remain open for those seeking connections within the foundation or discussing Ethereum’s strategic vision. He plans to maintain pressure on the ecosystem to advance at an appropriate pace.
The incoming co-Executive Director, Bastian Aue, already holds significant responsibilities within the organization. He previously led major initiatives alongside other senior leaders like Josh Stark and Tju Liang.
James Smith continues driving the EcoDev transformation focused on builders, founders, and institutional partnerships. Hsiao-Wei Wang maintains her co-ED role, providing continuity during the leadership transition.
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