Vitalik Responds to Calls for Aya Miyaguchi's Resignation Amid Ethereum Foundation Controversy

On Tuesday, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin responded to calls from the community for the resignation of Ethereum Foundation (EF) director Aya Miyaguchi following mounting criticism and a wave of online attacks directed at her leadership.

The criticism, which centers around accusations of ineffectiveness, leadership missteps, and frustration with the EF's direction, prompted Buterin to respond in a post on X. He defended Miyaguchi, dismissing the criticism as part of a broader "scapegoat attack" against her.

He referenced a mistranslated interview in Wired Japan, which misrepresented her stance on competition and success within the Ethereum ecosystem. Buterin further pointed to the wider social media environment, which he claims has become toxic, contributing to the barrage of negative attention.

Buterin’s comments highlight the growing divide between some community members and the Foundation’s leadership. They also emphasize a broader trend in the cryptocurrency space, where leadership within blockchain foundations is frequently scrutinized and criticized by the community, usually when the associated token underperforms.

Buterin strikes back

Buterin acknowledged the community’s frustrations but made it clear that negative tactics would not move the Foundation forward. He also dismissed several derogatory comments and social media posts, calling them “pure evil” while noting that such actions diminish his interest in meeting community demands.

"If you ‘keep the pressure on,’ then you are creating an environment that is actively toxic to top talent,” Buterin wrote. “Some of Ethereum's best devs have been messaging me recently, expressing their disgust with the social media environment that people like you are creating. YOU ARE MAKING MY JOB HARDER.”

Growing controversy

The controversy comes amid Buterin’s announcement of a broader initiative to enhance the EF's technical expertise, improve communication with developers and users, and expand the Foundation’s adoption of decentralized and privacy-focused technologies.

“We are indeed currently in the process of large changes to EF leadership structure, which has been ongoing for close to a year,” Buterin posted on Jan. 18. “Some of this has already been executed on and made public, and some is still in progress.”

In response, many community members have called for Danny Ryan, a former EF researcher, and Jerome de Tychey, the president of Ethereum France, to replace Miyaguchi.

The Foundation has also faced heavy criticism recently for its perceived lack of participation in the Ethereum ecosystem. On Monday, Eric Conner, a former ETH maxi, said on X he is no longer a ‘dot ETH.’

“Perhaps some day those in leadership roles will realign with the community, but for now, I am out,” he said.