The Ethereum Foundation restructure and layoffs 2026 marks a major shift in how the EF will build and fund Ethereum. The org now runs seven clusters focused on protocol, access, users, community, institutions, operations, and management. About 20% of staff are leaving with severance and transition support while core work narrows to self-sovereignty at scale. The EF has completed a months-long reorganization tied to its Mandate and Treasury Management Policy. The new model narrows scope, clarifies goals, and sets up teams to ship safe upgrades without drifting into short-term trends. It also reduces headcount by 54 people, while offering support to help them keep contributing to Ethereum from outside the EF.

Inside the Ethereum Foundation restructure and layoffs 2026

The new structure centers on seven clusters. Five cover work domains: protocol layer, access layer, user layer, community layer, and institutional layer. Two support them: operations, plus management and its support teams. Each domain owns clear outcomes, has its own rhythm, and answers for different results. The aim is simple: protect censorship resistance, openness, privacy, and security (CROPS) while scaling to global use.

Protocol layer: Hardening the core

This cluster carries the core duty to keep Ethereum reliable and free. Its job is to:

• Ship network upgrades safely and on time
• Cut needless complexity and reduce trust in outside parties
• Defend the transaction pipeline from toxic MEV and privileged order flow
• Turn long-horizon research into live protocol features

Future-facing work includes post-quantum security, zkEVM progress, and L1 privacy. The goal is not to boost marketing buzz or cater to short-term demand. The goal is to make Ethereum harder to corrupt, easier to verify, and safer when others fail or censor.

Access layer: Keep a zero-option path

This cluster makes self-sovereignty real at the point of use. It focuses on five key user actions:

• Read the chain and history
• Transact without censorship and with clear outcomes
• Prove facts and verify data
• Delegate actions with bounded authority
• Exit cleanly when needed

The rule is the zero option: for every path that uses an intermediary, there must be a credible path that does not. Users should keep custody of their intents, revoke authority at will, and verify the stack from silicon to frontend. As more activity shifts to agents, users must stay in charge and avoid exposure to parties they cannot verify.

User layer: Ground choices in real needs

This cluster keeps work linked to real people and real risks. It studies user groups, documents use cases, and measures impact. It helps the EF weigh trade-offs when needed. It builds learning tools and guides. It does not try to be a product studio. Its role is to ensure protocol and access choices reflect what users need to stay self-sovereign, now and in the future.

Community layer: Show up with clarity and independence

This cluster defines how the EF speaks and acts in public. It makes clear how the EF differs from zero-sum finance, from captured corporate crypto, and from nonprofit grant games that hide outside agendas. It builds ties with adjacent movements that share values:

• Free and open source software
• Local-first and secure software and hardware
• Privacy and cryptography research
• Civil liberty, decentralized web, and public-interest tech

The goal is real alignment, not forced partnerships or hype.

Institutional layer: Raise the bar for adoption

This cluster engages institutions that create, manage, or regulate the paths many people use to touch Ethereum. It includes:

• Banks and payments companies
• Insurers and other financial firms
• Manufacturers, publishers, social platforms, and other enterprises
• Governments and public agencies
• Universities and nonprofits

The focus is to showcase builds that maximize CROPS guarantees for both the institution and the end user. That means fair and correct execution, real data portability and practical exit, strong privacy, proofs of authenticity, and better ways to detect or prevent bad behavior. The cluster also supports standards, reference designs, and education, and it works with academics and advocacy groups on policy and regulation that affect Ethereum’s core principles.

Operations and management: Enable the mission

Operations keeps the machine running: finance, people, legal, IT, and internal tools. Management and its support teams set priorities, align clusters, and handle cross-cutting risks. The aim is lean support that lets domain teams move fast without breaking the values that hold Ethereum together.

Why the EF changed direction

Three needs drove this shift. First, the EF must defend self-sovereignty at the protocol level while the network grows. Second, the EF must keep focus during market swings. Third, the EF must make room for builders outside the Foundation to take on more work where markets and communities can lead. The Mandate and the Treasury Management Policy shape these choices. The EF is committing to long-life research, safe protocol changes, and independent stewardship. At the same time, it is stepping back from areas that are better served by the wider ecosystem or by clear market demand. The new clusters, clearer accountability, and budget discipline reflect that stance.

People and support during the change

As part of the Ethereum Foundation restructure and layoffs 2026, the EF is parting ways with 54 colleagues, about 20% of the org. This is a hard change. The EF says it is necessary to keep focus on work only the EF can and must do. Those leaving receive severance and transition help. Severance is the higher of:

• One month of pay per year of service, or
• The amount required by local law

Transition support includes help finding new roles in the ecosystem and a small grant to cover personal costs like career coaching. The EF thanks these builders for their service and expects many will keep contributing to Ethereum from new homes.

What this means for developers, users, and institutions

For developers

Expect steadier upgrades, simpler assumptions, and a push to reduce trust. Work on post-quantum safety, zkEVM paths, and L1 privacy points to a multi-year plan. MEV and order-flow fairness stay front and center. Builders can plan on clearer interfaces to the core protocol and cleaner data paths.

For users

Expect stronger private transactions, better ways to prove facts, and safer delegation to agents. You should see tools that make it easy to keep control of your keys, intents, and exit options. The access layer aims to make the “no intermediary” path visible and usable, not just theoretical.

For institutions

Expect clearer standards for fair execution, privacy, data portability, and verifiable records. The institutional cluster will share best practices, reference architectures, and learning material. The EF will also work upstream on policy to keep the protocol open, uncaptured, and secure. This should lower risk for responsible adopters while protecting end users.

How to track progress from here

In the coming weeks, the EF will publish more detail on who owns what, how to engage each cluster, and how it will measure outcomes. Watch for:

• Roadmaps for protocol security, MEV defenses, and research-to-mainnet paths
• Access-layer guides on reading, proving, delegating, and exiting
• User research summaries and impact measures
• Community and institutional standards, references, and education
• Policy updates tied to privacy, openness, and security

As these roll out, the wider ecosystem can better align work and funding with the EF’s focus areas. The goal is less duplication, more leverage, and clearer guarantees for everyone who depends on Ethereum. The Ethereum Foundation restructure and layoffs 2026 is a reset toward long-term stewardship. The EF is smaller, but its mission is sharper: keep Ethereum open, private, secure, and resistant to capture while scaling to global use. If the clusters deliver on their goals, developers, users, and institutions will gain stronger guarantees and clearer paths to build a self-sovereign future.

(Source: https://blog.ethereum.org/2026/06/23/ef-structure)

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