Ethereum Foundation leadership shake-up continues as co-director Hsiao-Wei Wang steps down
Hsiao-Wei Wang, a co-director at the Ethereum Foundation (EF), has resigned effective immediately, she announced on social media. Her exit is the latest in a string of high-profile departures from the organization and comes after a recent sabbatical.
Wang’s announcement follows the February departure of fellow co-director Tomasz Stańczak. After Stańczak left, Bastian Aue was appointed interim co-director to serve alongside Wang. In her post, Wang thanked colleagues for guiding the transition, saying, “During my break, Bastian guided the transition with care and thoughtfulness, and I appreciate the work he and many others have put into that process,” and added, “Over time, I've come to feel that this is the right moment for me to step back.”
This turn of events comes about a month after Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin said the Foundation would shift into a “smaller ship,” narrowing its focus to core priorities such as censorship resistance, privacy, and security. Buterin has described the EF’s ongoing restructuring as part of “large changes” that began in early 2025 to strengthen ties with ecosystem builders and contributors. He later acknowledged in 2026 that Ethereum would need “new plans” for its relationship with layer-2 networks.
But Wang’s departure is only the latest in a broader exodus. The Foundation has already seen key figures leave, including top researcher Dankrad Feist, Stańczak, and multiple veteran staffers. Those exits raised concerns about the EF’s capacity to steer the Ethereum ecosystem. Feist amplified those worries shortly before Buterin’s May mandate, arguing that the community should build “an organization that's economically aligned with Ethereum and accountable to it,” backed by at least $1 billion in ETH to “save Ethereum.” He also said the new body needs “a leader who is competent and wants to fight.”
The Foundation has faced criticism over its handling of ETH sales, and in response it published a more transparent treasury policy outlining when it would consider selling assets and stating it aims to “earn acceptable returns on treasury assets.” The EF also started staking part of its treasury earlier this year, with a stated goal of staking roughly 70,000 ETH—about $119 million at current prices.
Market context: ETH was trading around $1,708, down roughly 1.4% in the last 24 hours and nearly 66% below its all-time high of $4,946 set in August 2025.
A representative from the Ethereum Foundation did not immediately respond to Decrypt’s request for comment.
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