Joe Lubin: Ethereum Foundation's Changes Signal Refocus, Not Crisis

CoinDesk reports that the Ethereum Foundation's recent budget reductions, staff exits, and internal restructuring have triggered renewed debate across the community. Joe Lubin, Consensys CEO and Ethereum cofounder, told CoinDesk the developments should not be viewed as a crisis. He described them as a narrowing of mandate, with the foundation returning to its core role of protocol maintenance. Lubin said the foundation's responsibilities should concentrate on the network's underlying technology and the preservation of Ethereum's value, rather than commercialization, ecosystem expansion, or institutional partnerships. In his view, combining business development and foundational infrastructure under a single organization can create conflicts of interest and weaken external confidence in the foundation's neutrality. He argued the Ethereum Foundation should remain "trustworthy neutral," focusing on the protocol itself while leaving adoption efforts, institutional integration, and broader ecosystem growth to other organizations. The controversy centers on the strategic shift. Over recent weeks, discussions about the foundation's direction have intensified. Some critics say Ethereum has been slow to respond to competitive pressure and to improve market performance, while others point to concerns about turnover and organizational changes. Lubin attributed part of the backlash to misunderstandings about what the foundation is meant to do. Citing Etherscan data, he noted Ethereum currently processes about 2 million transactions per day. He said the current round of adjustments is aimed at further separating protocol stewardship from commercial development. Lubin also pointed to growing expectations around AI agent trading. He said he does not expect Ethereum to be controlled by any single entity over time, but to evolve into a network supported by multiple core nodes with distinct functions, each advancing different priorities. He rejected claims that Ethereum is entering a downturn, arguing that the sector is seeing a temporary shift of funding and attention toward AI narratives. According to Lubin, Ethereum's multiyear push to scale its infrastructure is laying the groundwork for the next adoption cycle. Potential catalysts include autonomous AI agents executing onchain transactions and continued institutional uptake of Ethereum-based infrastructure. He said the foundation's narrower scope is intended to concentrate resources on strengthening protocol-layer capabilities.