Compilation: Golden Finance 0xxz

After a year of transition, on February 25, 2025, Vitalik and the Ethereum Foundation (EF) announced that EF Executive Director Aya Miyagotchi has officially been promoted to Chair of the Ethereum Foundation. Following this, Aya Miyagotchi published a post introducing her future plans for the Ethereum Foundation, as follows:

Dear Ethereum community members,

Today, I am excited to turn a new page and share that I will be concluding my chapter as Executive Director of the Ethereum Foundation (EF) and stepping into this new role as Chair of the Foundation. This new opportunity will allow me to continue supporting EF's institutional relationships and to broaden the impact of our vision and culture. I am filled with gratitude and enthusiasm for the future; although I made this decision a year ago, recent events have provided me with an excellent opportunity to reflect on what truly matters to me.

In the past few weeks, the deeper meaning of Ethereum has been revealed—this fact becomes clearest in tense moments when network performance or the market value of ETH sparks controversy. Globally, teams and individuals talk about Ethereum as if it were their own, but it is this tension that is our greatest strength: Ethereum belongs to everyone precisely because it belongs to no one. Our permissionless culture not only tolerates differences—it becomes stronger through them. Amid all this, we see new, hopeful energy, reminding me that we often notice the North Star in the dark—something we often take for granted.

I would like to borrow from Stewart Brand's "Pace Layering" to explain my view of Ethereum. He proposed a framework for how the world operates, inspired by Brian Eno's "Shearing Layers." Over time, this model has shaped the thinking of a group of influential individuals, technologists, artists, futurists, and organizations.

Upholding Ethereum's Values

Where does Ethereum fit within these layers? Is it in the rapidly evolving outer layer, experimenting quickly? Or is it at the core, where nature and culture develop more slowly? I believe the answer lies not entirely in either aspect. If we want Ethereum to be more than just a short-term product, if we want it to integrate into the world's structure for the long term, we need all layers to develop at various speeds. If we do not want Ethereum to be forever limited to a short-term product of a single company, then all layers cannot—and should not—be dominated by EF.

The Ethereum Foundation is committed to discovering the gaps and imbalances between these layers. The role of the Ethereum Foundation has never been to control or own all domains within Ethereum. Instead, our responsibility—our duty—is to uphold Ethereum's values. Through our actions and inactions, we are responsible for ensuring that Ethereum remains resilient, not only as a network but as a broader ecosystem of people, ideas, and values—never to be reduced to a product of a single organization.

Credible neutrality does not mean treating everything equally; it means making principled choices that fundamentally protect Ethereum's integrity. Our subtractive philosophy is often misunderstood: it is not minimalism, nor does it mean doing less for the sake of minimalism. It is a subtractive design thinking that focuses on outcomes rather than rigid methods. Subtraction is not a process; it is the result we strive for: a less imbalanced, less centralized landscape that could undermine Ethereum's values. This mindset does not suggest that less is better; rather, it recognizes that achieving balance often requires thoughtful complexity or the addition of new mechanisms to ensure that no single entity (including EF) dominates Ethereum's development.

Guided by Philosophical Principles

By only owning what we are best suited to own, the Ethereum Foundation helps to launch new projects, new organizations, and new heroes. Guided by this philosophy, countless decisions have helped Ethereum become the largest ecosystem of its kind while maintaining its infinite potential. Ethereum can do anything, is everywhere, serves everyone, and is supported by the smartest talents in every field; most importantly, it must remain uncontrollable. These values are our North Star, and this is how we realize Ethereum's original vision as a world computer.

This philosophical principle runs through everything we do.

Here are some examples of how EF's actions impact Ethereum's research and infrastructure:

• We do not control but manage all core development calls, creating space for technical decisions to be made through community wisdom.
• We advocate for client diversity, not just in numbers, but to ensure client success and to be maintained by different teams within the ecosystem to avoid single points of failure. The client incentive program has also been supporting the work of client teams.
• We support the coordination of research and development interoperability workshops, fully aware that true breakthroughs occur when different teams exchange ideas.
• Some efforts began from seeds we planted—such as account abstraction or cross-L2 coordination—but their design intent is to transcend our initial inclinations and thrive through community nurturing.
• The merge and transition to PoS was an almost impossible task. Not only because it had to be executed seamlessly while thousands of applications continued to run, but also because it required a delicate balance: leading without controlling, coordinating without centralizing.

Devcon has become something truly unique within the Ethereum ecosystem. It is not an ordinary conference; it provides a space where community-centered and domain-specific activities are led by those driving progress from all corners of the ecosystem. We focus on cultivating leadership in different communities, enabling them to shape their own visions and connect with their people. While this approach makes coordination more complex, requiring more time and resources and asking us to embrace a degree of unpredictability, we believe it is the best way to reflect Ethereum's true essence—a network of independent yet interconnected communities, each contributing to the whole. The Devconnect we have hosted since 2021 is a natural extension of this idea: creating space for deep, focused collaboration while allowing different communities to lead in their own ways.

In carrying out this philosophy, I encourage our team to keep in mind a key principle: EF must continually evolve, just as Ethereum itself is a vibrant entity. However, we must avoid evolving like a traditional company, because EF's goal is not for EF to "win"—but for Ethereum to achieve long-term success while adhering to its core values. As the ecosystem's needs evolve, our focus shifts from simply asking, "How does EF execute this?" to "How does Ethereum achieve this, and what role should EF play?" This does not mean stepping back; rather, we move forward with purpose, strategy, and intent, always guided by our mission to uphold Ethereum's integrity and values.

Subtraction, not minimalism

Long-term sustainability, not short-term gains

Thoughtful complexity, not oversimplification

Management, not control

Adaptive growth, not rigid structures

Purposeful evolution, not corporate expansion

Community leadership, not dominance

Irreplaceable Uniqueness

Witnessing this growth in the ecosystem is truly magical. Seven years ago, when I joined EF, Ethereum's voice was quieter. Participation (including the building and safeguarding of the network) was concentrated among fewer people and regions. At that time, as an Eclectic Dreamer (I prefer this title over Executive Director), I often asked myself: What makes Ethereum not just different, but unique? The answer was always clear and profound: true resilience, rooted in Ethereum's values. Ethereum does not grow like a machine; it grows like a garden, becoming stronger through its biodiversity, as the whole game is infinite and thriving. This vision—the Infinite Garden—was born from this realization. Today, Ethereum thrives as a chorus of voices: core developers and researchers refining the protocol, L2 teams achieving scalability, application builders connecting Ethereum to the real world, and local communities shaping its future in their own ways. This richness—where technological and social innovations intertwine and influence each other—is not just a characteristic of Ethereum; it is the reason for its enduring vitality.

When we hear someone from a place where democratic institutions are under threat say, "Decentralization is the only way to build my country," it reminds us that Ethereum's technical choices have profound implications for humanity. While the Ethereum Foundation cannot play this infinite game alone, we remain committed to ensuring that Ethereum's technological and social innovations continue to serve human values.

Gratitude

A year ago, when I first discussed the possibility of transitioning to the chair with Vitalik, the goal was to continue nurturing Ethereum's unique culture and to serve as a voice bridging the gap between Ethereum and the broader global community. Just as in Pace Layering, culture develops the slowest, but it provides a solid foundation for everything that follows ("If the slow parts aren't occasionally frustrating, then they aren't working - Stewart Brand"). Culture far exceeds market cycles, supporting us through winters and propelling us through springs.

I am grateful to everyone who has accompanied me over the past seven years, and to those who encouraged me to stay true to myself. Developing EF and supporting Ethereum often requires unconventional approaches and decisions that challenge traditional organizational wisdom. I am deeply thankful to those who inspired me to remain brave and believe that pursuing our values will illuminate the path forward. This journey has never been easy, and I could not have done it without you. I sincerely thank everyone at the Ethereum Foundation, past and present, who patiently and courageously participated in this extraordinary and unusual journey.

Thank you all; it is you who continually remind me why we are here in this world.

Let us continue to build in the garden.

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