Tomasz Stanczak to step down as Ethereum Foundation co-executive director, Bastian Aue to take interim role

Tomasz Stanczak said he will step down from his role as co-executive director of the Ethereum Foundation at the end of February, marking a leadership transition less than a year after the foundation formalized its new executive structure.

In a blog post published on Friday, Stanczak wrote: "I am stepping down from my co-ED role at the EF. Bastian Aue is taking over the co-ED role alongside Hsiao-Wei Wang. The future is bright for builders, for Ethereum, for the EF, and for me." He said he plans to answer questions at ETHDenver and during upcoming podcasts and AMAs.

The move comes just over nine months after the foundation's April 2025 announcement formalizing Stanczak and Wang as co-executive directors under an updated board and management structure.

That reorganization came after a period of community criticism over transparency and strategy and aimed to reinforce Ethereum's (ETH) technical direction while preserving its cypherpunk values. Former executive director Aya Miyaguchi transitioned to president at the time, while the board, including Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, outlined a renewed focus on scaling the blockchain, improving user experience, and strengthening ecosystem development.

Scaling, AI and institutional adoption

In his post, Stanczak described Ethereum as entering a new phase shaped by the integration of AI, agentic systems, and institutional finance. He said Ethereum is "becoming the underlying infrastructure for verification and financial transactions" as financial infrastructure transitions onchain and automated interactions expand.

He also pointed to growing stablecoin and real-world asset activity on Ethereum and said dashboards show the network's increasing market share in those segments. Ethereum, he wrote, is "seen as the lowest-risk chain," citing credible neutrality, decentralization, and no downtime since genesis as factors that present institutions with "uniquely low counterparty, technology, and jurisdiction risk."

On the protocol side, Stanczak said the foundation plans to release a proposal for a merged LEAN Ethereum and core development roadmap to provide coordination guidance in 2026 and beyond. He noted that the network delivered two upgrades in 2025 and that core developers are well-positioned to continue shipping improvements. He also highlighted a defined quantum strategy, post-quantum security work within the protocol roadmap, and a dedicated decentralized AI team delivering standards and experiments for what he described as the "agentic economy."

Further, Stanczak addressed ongoing discussions around the Layer 1–Layer 2 relationship, referencing recent posts by Buterin that sought to clarify long-observed dynamics. He said the foundation created a Platform team and convened more than 20 Ethereum Layer 2 teams to discuss scaling, differentiation, and interoperability, adding that major rollups have increasingly overtaken alternative Layer 1 chains in stablecoin and transaction-per-second metrics.

He added that the foundation has worked over the past year to accelerate decision-making, support founders and institutions, clarify treasury and compensation policies, strengthen local hubs, and improve transparency around budgets and structure. "The roadmap is clearer; the goals are set," he wrote, adding that many changes have been completed or are consistently improving.

Stanczak confirmed he plans to remain active in the ecosystem as a hands-on builder, focusing on agentic core development and governance while continuing to support founders and local communities.

"It is one of the most exciting times to be a builder on Ethereum," he wrote.

Ethereum leadership reacts to transition

In a statement on X, Miyaguchi described Stanczak as "a unique talent and leader, accomplishing more in a single year than most could ever hope to," adding that the foundation accepted the change "with gratitude and hope."

She confirmed that Bastian Aue will serve as interim co-ED alongside Hsiao-Wei Wang, saying there is "no one more ready to take on this role" and expressing confidence that he will provide steady leadership during the transition.

Buterin also praised Stanczak's tenure at the foundation.

"Tomasz has always impressed me with his work ethic, his unique personality, and the kind of organization that he built at Nethermind," Buterin wrote on X, adding that Stanczak brought a creative and distinct perspective on Ethereum's role in the future.

He added that Stanczak helped increase the foundation's efficiency, made it more responsive to the outside world, and pushed the organization to think more seriously about how AI could reshape blockchain systems.

"I look forward to seeing the exciting work that Tomasz will continue to do, both within Ethereum and outside," Buterin said.