Luke Dashjr, one of Bitcoin Core's earliest contributors, was removed as Bitcoin BIP Editor on Sunday after a vote by other developers, following the failure of BIP-110, a softfork he championed. The decision was posted on the BIP GitHub, and Dashjr responded by calling it "an abuse of power by Core" and announcing a sabbatical from his role as chairman and CTO of mining company Ocean.
The vote to remove Dashjr
The motion to strip Dashjr of his editor role cited his heavy involvement in BIP-110, inconsistent editorial practices, and conflict-of-interest concerns. It passed by a vote of other Bitcoin developers and was published on the BIP GitHub on Sunday, August 9, 2026. Dashjr has said the developers have no authority to remove him, but the decision stands for now.
BIP-110 stalls after two blocks
BIP-110 was a softfork aimed at reducing spam on the Bitcoin network. It failed to gain consensus on Saturday, producing a new out-of-consensus blockchain that stalled after just two blocks. The failure effectively killed the proposal, at least in its current form, and left the network without a clear path on spam reduction.
Dashjr steps back from Ocean
On Monday, August 10, Dashjr announced he is taking a sabbatical as chairman and CTO of Ocean, the mining company that supported the fork. The timing isn't great for Ocean, which had bet on BIP-110. Dashjr didn't say how long the sabbatical would last or who would fill in during his absence.
A long-running clash over BIP-110
Dashjr has been part of Bitcoin Core since its early days, but he clashed with main developers and the wider community over BIP-110. The fork's failure and his removal mark a low point in that relationship. It's unclear who will take over the BIP editor role, and whether Dashjr will return to Ocean after his break.
