Vitalik Buterin defends Ethereum Foundation leader Aya Miyaguchi amid community attack

Vitalik Buterin has addressed calls for changes at the Ethereum Foundation, rejecting demands for Executive Director Aya Miyaguchi’s resignation and criticizing pressure campaigns targeting the organization.

His comments were in response to tweets from traders and industry players, including CoinMamba, Tetranode, and Evan Van Ness, who argued that appointing Danny Ryan as EF leader would resolve concerns about development priorities and decision-making.

Buterin stated,

“This is not how this game works. The person deciding the new EF leadership team is me.”

According to the EF website, the board has just three members: Vitalik Buterin, Aya Miyaguchi, and Patrick Storchenegger.

Buterin warned that orchestrating social media pressure risks undermining Ethereum’s culture and repelling contributors. He emphasized that any leadership transition would require thoughtful steps rather than public showdowns, saying,

“If you “keep the pressure on”, then you are creating an environment that is actively toxic to top talent. Some of Ethereum’s best devs have been messaging me recently, expressing their disgust with the social media environment that people like you are creating. YOU ARE MAKING MY JOB HARDER.”

CoinMamba had suggested that Miyaguchi’s departure could boost Ethereum’s price, while Tetranode openly threatened prolonged efforts to oust leaders he deemed unfit. Buterin countered that this approach harms morale and deters high-caliber talent from engaging with Ethereum’s ecosystem.

Ethereum reform

The tension follows Buterin’s recent comments outlining a reform of the Ethereum Foundation’s leadership structure. He emphasized improving technical expertise, fostering stronger collaboration with ecosystem participants, and recruiting new contributors who align with Ethereum’s open-source values. He also stressed that an executive shift would not transform the Foundation into a centralized or politically driven organization.

Some community members see leadership disputes as the culmination of broader disagreements about the Foundation’s role. Critics have questioned the group’s transparency, citing past token movements, such as when the Foundation moved $72 million in ETH to Kraken in January 2025.

Others have cited delays to the Dencun upgrade, which introduced “blob-carrying transactions” to refine data handling. The staggered rollout has caused friction among some participants, who are impatient for more rapid progress.

EF changes and for-profit requirements

While some want the Foundation to adopt a more top-down approach, Buterin maintained that Ethereum should remain decentralized, with the EF focusing on initiatives it can effectively steward. He noted that for-profit groups may better serve other goals and pushed back against the idea that the EF should feel compelled to address every community concern. Critics like Evan Van Ness acknowledged Buterin’s stance but insisted that naming Ryan as Miyaguchi’s successor would calm tensions.

Buterin signaled that the EF would continue its mission while encouraging alternative organizations to take on roles that the Foundation could not easily fulfill. Buterin’s messages indicated no immediate reversal of leadership plans or personnel changes, although he reaffirmed his control over EF governance until a proposed “proper board” is in place.

He also highlighted several other X users’ comments, labeling them as “pure evil” as they contained vulgar memes, calls for bullying Aya, and discussions to “kill Aya.”

He insisted that fostering a healthy developer environment remains a priority and urged critics to consider the long-term consequences of public campaigns. He offered no further timetable for structural changes, leaving the question of when or if the Foundation will shift leadership unresolved.