Aya Miyaguchi has been appointed as the new president of the Ethereum Foundation, marking a leadership transition amid growing public criticism.
Miyaguchi expressed his commitment to promoting Ethereum’s unique culture and serving as a bridge between Ethereum and the global community.
The move comes after weeks of criticism from some members of the Ethereum community over the foundation’s leadership and lack of transparency. Addressing the concerns, Miyaguchi described Ethereum’s decentralized nature as both a challenge and a strength.
“The past few weeks have illuminated something profound about ETH; it becomes most obvious in moments of tension, when debates arise over the performance of the network or the market value of ETH,” Miyaguchi wrote. “Teams and individuals around the world talk about Ethereum as if it were their own, but our greatest strength lies precisely in this tension: Ethereum belongs to everyone precisely because it belongs to no one.”
ETH co-founder Vitalik Buterin revealed on the X platform that Miyaguchi first offered to step down from executive director to president a year ago. Having played a key role in the foundation’s development during his seven-year tenure as executive director, Miyaguchi will continue to support the foundation’s initiatives in his new position.
Buterin also noted that the ETH Foundation is currently reviewing its leadership structure and will provide further updates soon.
The Ethereum Foundation has faced criticism for its lack of transparency and the complexity of its organizational structure, but Buterin has pushed for greater community involvement.
*This is not investment advice.
