A four-week exodus
Josh Stark, who served as a board co-steward for roughly seven years and co-chaired the Trillion Dollar Security initiative, announced his exit on April 16. He said he needed to “reset and spend time with family” and has no immediate plans. The same week, Van Epps left after publicly criticizing the foundation's leadership for associating with the Milady NFT collection, calling it “baffling and sad.” Two other senior researchers — Frédéric Monnot and Tim Beiko — also left full-time roles in that window, though neither gave public statements at the time.
Tomasz Stańczak stepped down as co-Executive Director on February 13 after just 11 months in the position. Bastian Aue replaced him as interim co-ED. Separately, Dankrad Feist had already transitioned to a part-time EF advisor role in October 2025 while joining Tempo, a Stripe- and Paradigm-backed L1 project, as an advisor — the first time a senior EF researcher moved to a competing blockchain.
" Translation for heading: "Eksodus empat minggu
" First paragraph of this section: "Josh Stark, yang menjabat sebagai rekan-pengurus dewan selama sekitar tujuh tahun dan ikut memimpin inisiatif Trillion Dollar Security, mengumumkan kepergiannya pada 16 April. Ia mengatakan perlu “mereset dan menghabiskan waktu bersama keluarga” dan tidak memiliki rencana langsung. Pada minggu yang sama, Van Epps pergi setelah secara terbuka mengkritik kepemimpinan yayasan karena berasosiasi dengan koleksi NFT Milady, menyebutnya “membingungkan dan menyedihkan.” Dua peneliti senior lainnya — Frédéric Monnot dan Tim Beiko — juga meninggalkan peran penuh waktu dalam rentang waktu tersebut, meskipun keduanya tidak memberikan pernyataan publik saat itu.
" Second paragraph: "Tomasz Stańczak mengundurkan diri sebagai ko-Direktur Eksekutif pada 13 Februari setelah hanya 11 bulan menjabat. Bastian Aue menggantikannya sebagai ko-ED sementara. Secara terpisah, Dankrad Feist telah beralih ke peran penasihat EF paruh waktu pada Oktober 2025 sambil bergabung dengan Tempo, sebuah proyek L1 yang didukung Stripe dan Paradigm, sebagai penasihat — untuk pertama kalinya seorang peneliti senior EF pindah ke blockchain pesaing.
" Note: 'co-Executive Director' -> 'ko-Direktur Eksekutif', 'interim co-ED' -> 'ko-ED sementara'. 'L1 project' -> 'proyek L1' (common). Third paragraph: "Inside the Mandate
The Mandate document, released March 13, lays out four core principles — censorship resistance, open source, privacy, and security — and positions the EF as a “protocol steward.” It also formally adopts the “Source Seppuku License,” a pre-existing satirical license from internet subculture. The document does not include the so-called “walkaway test” — the idea that Ethereum should function if the Foundation vanished — though that concept has been paraphrased in secondary coverage.
Van Epps' criticism of the Milady association has been widely circulated since his departure, putting the foundation's cultural alignment under scrutiny. The Mandate doesn't address that incident directly, but it does try to clarify the EF's role in a network that's increasingly decentralized — and increasingly tested by its own talent drain.
" Translation heading: "Di Dalam Mandat
" First paragraph: "Dokumen Mandat, yang dirilis pada 13 Maret, menjabarkan empat prinsip inti — ketahanan terhadap sensor, sumber terbuka, privasi, dan keamanan — dan menempatkan EF sebagai “pengelola protokol.” Dokumen ini juga secara resmi mengadopsi “Lisensi Seppuku Sumber,” sebuah lisensi satir yang sudah ada dari subkultur internet. Dokumen tersebut tidak mencakup apa yang disebut “uji walkaway” — gagasan bahwa Ethereum harus berfungsi jika Yayasan lenyap — meskipun konsep itu telah diuraikan ulang dalam liputan sekunder.
" Note: 'walkaway test' I kept as 'uji walkaway' because it's a specific term; could also be 'uji pergi' but less precise. 'Source Seppuku License' kept as original with translation: 'Lisensi Seppuku Sumber' sounds off, maybe better to keep original English in italics? The instruction says use appropriate Indonesian terminology for crypto/tech terms, but this is a specific license name. I'll keep the English name but indicate it's a license. Alternatively: "Lisensi 'Source Seppuku'" – I'll keep as "Source Seppuku License" with translation as "lisensi Source Seppuku". Actually, let me check: The original says '“Source Seppuku License,” a pre-existing satirical license from internet subculture.' So in Indonesian, it's fine to keep the English name and add 'lisensi' before it: "lisensi 'Source Seppuku'". I'll do: "lisensi 'Source Seppuku'". Second paragraph: "Kritik Van Epps terhadap asosiasi Milady telah tersebar luas sejak kepergiannya, menempatkan keselarasan budaya yayasan di bawah pengawasan. Mandat tidak membahas insiden tersebut secara langsung, tetapi mencoba memperjelas peran EF dalam jaringan yang semakin terdesentralisasi — dan semakin diuji oleh pengurasan bakatnya sendiri.
" 'cultural alignment' -> 'keselarasan budaya', 'talent drain' -> 'pengurasan bakat'. Fourth paragraph: "Leadership in transition
With Stark, Van Epps, Monnot, and Beiko all gone within weeks, Aue now holds the interim co-ED role and the foundation
