Bittensor (tao) 
Ethereum Foundation Announces Shift in Leadership and Focus on Network Upgrades
The Ethereum Foundationβs newly appointed co-executive director, Tomasz K. StaΕczak, has emphasized that Vitalik Buterinβs recent proposals are designed to spark discussions and invite scrutiny regarding Ethereumβs future development. Under the new leadership, the Foundation plans to shift its focus from research and development to key priorities such as Layer 1 scaling, Layer 2 support, enhanced user experience, and improved interoperability.
New Leadership Direction
According to StaΕczak, the Foundation is gearing up to implement protocol upgrades to enhance Ethereum’s performance. These upgrades include the upcoming Pectra, Fusaka, and Glamsterdam updates, which aim to improve network scalability and efficiency.
StaΕczak noted that discussions surrounding the Layer 1 scaling roadmap have been extensive, with the community expressing appreciation for the ambitious goals. He stressed that turning these ambitions into reality will depend on the dedication of Ethereumβs core development teams and researchers.
Vitalik Buterinβs Evolving Role
Under the Foundation’s new direction, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin will play a smaller role in daily network operations. Instead, Buterin will focus his efforts on research initiatives aimed at driving long-term breakthroughs and innovation.
βWe aimed, among other things, to free more of Vitalikβs time for research and exploration, rather than day-to-day coordination or crisis response. Each time Vitalik shares insights or communicates a direction, he accelerates major long-term breakthroughs,β said StaΕczak.
Community Feedback and Proposals
StaΕczak commended Buterin for his recent proposals, such as the idea to replace Ethereumβs Virtual Machine (EVM) with RISC-V, an open-source instruction set architecture. This proposal, shared on April 20, aims to enhance the networkβs efficiency, particularly for zero-knowledge-based scaling solutions. StaΕczak also highlighted Buterinβs contributions to privacy-related initiatives, which have helped realign the community with Ethereumβs core values.
However, StaΕczak stressed that Buterinβs proposals are not definitive decisions but rather starting points for discussions. He encouraged the community to refine, modify, or even reject these ideas as part of the collaborative development process.
βI want to make clear that Vitalikβs proposals will always carry weight, but they are intended to start conversations and encourage progress in difficult research areas,β continued StaΕczak.
RISC-V Proposal for Improved Scalability
On April 20, Vitalik Buterin shared his proposal advocating for the replacement of Ethereumβs EVM with RISC-V on the Ethereum Magicians forum. He argued that this change could significantly improve scalability, particularly for zero-knowledge-based solutions. The proposal was presented just weeks before Ethereumβs next major upgrade, scheduled for May 7.
As Ethereum continues to evolve, the Foundationβs shift in focus under StaΕczakβs leadership signals a clear commitment to addressing scalability challenges, optimizing user experience, and fostering innovation through community collaboration.
