Ethereum is on the brink of significant advancements. zkEVMs have swiftly progressed, allowing us to restructure L1 to concurrently foster scalability, verifiability, security, and resistance to censorship. L2s are solidifying, catering to users’ preferences, and are keen to reinforce their reliance on Ethereum as their foundational trust. In summary, the world is prepared for the global computer.
These remarkable developments not only unlock substantial advantages for our users but will also enable us to welcome many more. The stakes are considerable: This moment might represent Ethereum’s prime opportunity to implement not just our technology, but our principles, on a planetary level.
In response, we must reassess our current strategies for designing, developing, and managing the protocol. This process of “delivering protocol” is chaotic, requiring us to respond proactively to requests that are challenging to articulate and even more difficult to meet. It is our duty to employ our skills for the benefit of the broader community.
Carrying out this directive will necessitate a heightened level of concentration and cooperation within our group, the Protocol Research & Development teams within the EF. This entails increasing our commitment to areas where the EF possesses unique expertise and in-depth knowledge unrivaled in our ecosystem: from developing mission-critical code to disseminating pioneering research and coordinating substantial initiatives.
To bolster this vision, we are modifying our operational methods, shifting our focus towards our three strategic objectives: enhancing the L1, improving the blobs, and refining user experience. In practical terms, this involves reorganizing our teams and establishing explicit coordination frameworks surrounding these strategic ambitions.
This also implies that some members of PR&D will not be continuing with the Ethereum Foundation. We hope these individuals persist in the Ethereum ecosystem and encourage others expanding their teams to connect with them.
The adjustments we’re revealing today represent a shift from our past operational patterns, yet we believe these changes set us on a more responsive and effective course. To signify the start of this new chapter and framework, we would like to reintroduce “Protocol R&D” to the world with a new name: Protocol.
Strategic initiatives
Over the past year, many of us have determined that we must articulate our priorities more effectively. Through discussions with our community, we have collectively devised three ambitious objectives for us to achieve promptly: scale L1, scale blobs, enhance UX. Accomplishing this successfully is the most significant endeavor we could pursue on behalf of our community, and it is our responsibility to deliver on it.
It is essential for us to ensure that these objectives directly influence our focus and resource distribution. Each of these objectives is now aligned with a strategic initiative for Protocol, a collaborative space to unify our diverse talents. We invite every team in Protocol to contemplate how their contributions are aiding our efforts in executing these strategic initiatives.
Critical to our execution is the presence of leaders within our group who are trusted by the community. We are being more explicit in designating leaders to expedite our strategic initiatives to enhance accountability.
Specifically, the following individuals are accountable for ensuring the EF achieves each of its strategic objectives:
- Scale L1: Tim Beiko & Ansgar Dietrichs
- Scale L2: Alex Stokes & Francesco D’Amato
- Enhance UX: Barnabé Monnot & Josh Rudolf
They will be supported by Dankrad Feist, serving as a strategic advisor across all tracks, as well as the leaders for the projects outlined to advance these objectives.
You can find more information on our three strategic initiatives here.
Teams
More than ever, it is crucial that we tackle challenges by uniting the capabilities of all Protocol members. Swiftly transitioning research into prototypes and full production necessitates tighter collaboration and feedback mechanisms. We have observed numerous additional bridges formed throughout our teams in recent years, yielding tangible outcomes. With a common vision, we must guarantee that our communal environment is outstanding to work in.
Fostering transparency in our collaboration among all Protocol members requires shared expectations and a high level of trust that each of us is performing at their utmost capacity. Team leaders will be tasked with ensuring that their members meet our standards for technical excellence and experience continuous growth, motivating themselves ever further.
Protocol is now a more cohesive and streamlined organization with more concentrated teams. You can view our updated organizational chart here.
Protocol cannot achieve everything alone. Our ecosystem is strengthened by the contributions of various other core research and development teams, who enhance our efforts and bring features to fruition. Our aim is not to supplant these teams, but to establish a high standard for ourselves in our collaboration with them.
Protocol is spearheading efforts to reconfigure our main governance forums and introducing new ones. It is vital to continue gathering the appropriate signals and converting them into actions.
We are searching for new individuals to join us in this endeavor and become part of the larger Ethereum core development community. Two roles we think are essential to assist us in solving actual challenges for Ethereum users are a UX Lead and Performance Engineering Lead. In addition to these positions, we welcome outstanding candidates who are enthusiastic about our mission to reach out through our General Application.
So let’s accomplish this together. Let’s deliver Protocol.
