Aya Miyaguchi has transitioned from executive director to president of the Ethereum Foundation, effective Feb. 25, 2025, as part of a leadership restructuring aimed at addressing community concerns and advancing institutional partnerships.
Ethereum Foundation Elevates Aya Miyaguchi to President Amid Leadership Restructuring
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Aya Miyaguchi Steps Into Ethereum Foundation Presidency
Miyaguchi, who joined the nonprofit in 2018, oversaw key milestones such as Ethereum’s 2022 transition to proof-of- stake (The Merge), a technical overhaul praised for reducing energy consumption. Her leadership philosophy emphasizes decentralization, which she described as fostering an “Infinite Garden” of innovation. Under her tenure, the foundation also prioritized client diversity, research interoperability, and events like the annual Devcon conference.
The role change follows months of community criticism, with some stakeholders alleging ineffective leadership amid Ethereum’s lagging developer growth and market competitiveness relative to rivals like Solana. Critics have linked these challenges to Miyaguchi’s hands-off approach, though supporters, including Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, credit her with maintaining the network’s decentralized ethos.
A while back, Buterin condemned recent harassment targeting Miyaguchi, calling such behavior “pure evil” in a January 2025 social media post. He reaffirmed his authority over leadership decisions, stating, “The person deciding the new EF leadership team is me,” while defending Miyaguchi’s contributions to technical upgrades and governance coordination.
The restructuring aligns with plans to introduce a formal governance board, aiming to enhance transparency. Miyaguchi noted in a blog post that a new model would balance decentralization with strategic leadership, though specifics remain undisclosed.
The transition positions Miyaguchi to focus on global institutional partnerships and cultural advocacy, testing her ability to unify a divided community. Ethereum retains dominance in decentralized finance, but pressure mounts to address scalability and developer retention as competitors gain traction. The foundation’s next steps will likely shape its ability to sustain innovation while navigating decentralized governance challenges.
Following the transition announcement, the foundation noted it was donating $1.25 million to the legal defense of Alexey Pertsev. “Privacy is normal, and writing code is not a crime,” the foundation’s X post noted.
