Key Ethereum researcher Josh Stark leaves the Ethereum Foundation

Cointelegraph2h ago3 min readOriginal source →

TL;DR

Josh Stark, a key researcher at the Ethereum Foundation, is leaving after five years, citing a need for personal time. He did not disclose specific reasons for his departure.

Key points

Josh Stark is leaving the Ethereum Foundation.
He worked there for five years.
Stark is focusing on personal time with family and friends.

Mentioned in this story

Josh StarkEthereum Foundation

Josh Stark, a key researcher and project manager at the Ethereum Foundation, the non-profit organization that stewards development of the Ethereum ecosystem, said Thursday that he is departing the organization after five years.

Stark did not provide a specific reason for his departure and said in a post on X that he has “no plans for the future.” Instead, he will take some personal time to focus on family and friends. He said:

“The Ethereum ecosystem has reliably done things the world told us were impossible. It is easy to forget how much real fear and doubt there was that Ethereum would never launch, that decentralized finance (DeFi) would never work, or that Proof of Stake would never ship.”

He is one of four people listed as “Management” on an organizational chart which shows nearly all of the Foundation’s staff reporting in. Cointelegraph reached out to Stark about his departure, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Source: Josh Stark

The departure of Stark from the Ethereum Foundation represents the most high-profile exit from the organization since Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin announced sweeping leadership changes and a new direction for the Foundation in 2025. A day earlier, another Foundation contributor, Trent Van Epps, announced that he resigned last week.