The organization has not yet commented on the reasons for the mass departures. Researchers Carl Beek and Julian Ma announced their exits on May 18.
The Ethereum Foundation (EF) continues to lose experienced staff. On May 18, researchers Carl Beek and Julian Ma announced their departures.
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Who Else Has Left the EF
Carl Beek spent seven years at the foundation and was a key contributor to the creation of the Ethereum Beacon Chain. He also worked on increasing network throughput and execution levels. Beek will leave the organization at the end of May.
Julian Ma spent four years at the EF. He is a co-author of the FOCIL proposal (EIP-7805) to enhance the network’s censorship resistance. He also led the launch of the Fast Confirmation Rule mechanism, which reduced finalization time for transfers between L1 and L2.
Both developers stated that their departures were voluntary. Ma noted a desire to focus on product development and growth, while Beek cited wanting to spend more time with his family.
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Wave of Departures in 2026
The exits of Beek and Ma continue a pattern of significant personnel changes at the Ethereum Foundation. In May, lead developers Barnabé Monnot and Tim Beiko also left the organization, while Alex Stokes took a sabbatical. In April, Josh Stark departed, and in February, co-executive director Tomasz Stańczak stepped down.
In total, at least eight key staff members and researchers have left the EF in 2026. Some have moved to other projects within the ecosystem. The EF has not yet commented on the reasons for the mass departures.
What Is Happening Around Ethereum And ETH
The departures come amid internal restructuring at the foundation. In March 2026, the EF published a new mandate outlining network development principles known as CROPs: censorship resistance, openness, privacy, and security. According to some former employees, staff were required to accept this document, which caused dissatisfaction among part of the team.
At the time of publication, Ethereum (ETH) trades at approximately $2,100. The token has shown no significant price movement over the past 24 hours.
Nevertheless, ETH’s price has fallen 7% over the past week and more than 11% over the past two weeks. On a yearly basis, the leading altcoin also remains in negative territory, having lost more than 13% of its value.
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