A new chapter in the infinite garden

My dear Ethereum community,

Today, I am delighted to turn the page and share that I will soon do this chapter as executive director of the Ethereum Foundation and will start a new role as president. This new opportunity will allow me to continue to support EF’s institutional relationships and to extend the scope of our vision and our culture more broadly. I feel deeply grateful and enthusiastic about what awaits us, and even if I made this decision a year ago, recent events have given me the ideal opportunity to think about what really matters to me.

In recent weeks have enlightened something deep in Ethereum – a truth that becomes the clearest in moments of tension, when debates occur on network performance or the market value of the ETH. All over the world, teams and individuals talk about Ethereum as if they were theirs, but this tension is where our greatest strength resides: Ethereum belongs to everyone precisely because it does not belong to anyone. Our culture of the absence of permission does not only tolerate the disagreement – it is strengthened. And in the midst of all this, we have seen a new energy full of hope emerging, reminding me that it is often in the dark that we notice the northern star – something that we too often hold for granted.

I would like to borrow from Stewart Brand Pace To explain how I see things in Ethereum. It presents a framework on the functioning of the world, which was inspired by Brian Eno Shear layers. Over time, this model has shaped the thought of a diversified group of influential people, technologists, artists, futurists and organizations.

Maintain the values ​​of Ethereum

Where was Ethereum in these diapers? Is it in fast-evolving external layers, where quick experimentation occurs? Or at the heart, where nature and culture are changing more slowly? I don’t think the answer lies entirely either. If we want Ethereum to be more than a short -term product, if we want it to weave in the fabric of the world in the long term, we need all the strata, moving to all the steps. And if we do not want Ethereum to be never confined to a short -term product of a company, not all strata can – and should not be dominated by EF.

The Ethereum Foundation strives to identify gaps and imbalances through these layers. EF’s role has never been to control or have all areas in Ethereum. Instead, our responsibility –Our responsibility – Lies in maintaining Ethereum values. Thanks to our actions and non-actions, we are responsible for ensuring that Ethereum remains resilient, not only as a network, but as a broader ecosystem of people, ideas and values, has never been reduced to the product of a single organization.

The value of credible neutrality This does not mean treating everything equally, it means making principles of principle that protect Ethereum’s integrity in its heart. Our philosophy of subtraction is often poorly understood: it is not a minimalism, and it does not mean doing less for good. It is a form of thinking of subtractive design that focuses on results rather than rigid methods. Subtraction is not the process, but the result we are looking for: a landscape with fewer imbalances and less centralization which could compromise the values ​​of Ethereum. Instead of supposing that the less it is always better, this state of mind recognizes that the realization of balance often requires reflected complexity or the addition of new mechanisms to ensure that no entity, EF included, dominates the Evolution of Ethereum.

Guided by philosophy

EF has helped Bootstrap new projects, new organizations and new heroes by only having what we were best suited. Innumerable decisions, guided by this philosophy, helped Ethereum to become the greatest ecosystem of the genre while keeping its infinite potential. Ethereum can do everything, be everywhere and serve everyone, with each area fueled by the brightest minds, and above all, he must remain free from capture. These values ​​are our North Star, and this is how we carry out the original vision of Ethereum as a global computer.

This philosophy goes through everything we do.

Some examples of the place where our actions had an impact on R&D and Ethereum infrastructure:

• Instead of controlling, we keep All the main dev Calls to create a space for technical decisions to emerge thanks to community wisdom.
• We Promote the diversity of customersNot only in number, but so that customers succeed and maintained by different teams through the ecosystem to avoid unique failure points. The customer incentive program also supported customer teams in their work.
• We support the coordination of R&D Interop RetretsKnowing that real breakthroughs occur when various teams find themselves ideas.
• Some efforts begin as seeds that we plant – as Account abstraction Or Cross-L2 coordinationBut they are designed to grow beyond our initial expectation and now flourish through community culture.
• The merger and the transition to proof of stake were simply impossible for a mission. Not only because it had to be executed transparently while thousands of requests continued to operate, but because it required a delicate balance: leadership without control, coordination without centralization.

Devcon has become something really unique in Ethereum ecosystem. It is not a normal conference, and it provides a space where community centers and specific events in the field are led by those who lead progress in their own corners of the ecosystem. We focus on the nanny of leadership within various communities, allowing them to shape their own visions and connect with their people. Although this approach makes coordination more complex, requires more time and resources and forces us to adopt a level of unpredictability, we believe that it is the best way to reflect what Ethereum is really – a network of communities Independent but interconnected, each contributing to the whole. Devonnectthat we have housed since 2021 is a natural extension of this philosophy: creating spaces for a deep and targeted collaboration while allowing different communities to direct in their own way.

By performing our efforts with this philosophy, I encouraged our team to keep in mind a key principle: EF must continue to evolve, just as Ethereum itself is a living and dynamic entity. However, we must avoid evolving as a traditional society, because our objective is not for EF to “win” – it belongs to Ethereum to win in the long term while remaining faithful to its fundamental values. As the needs of the ecosystem evolve, our concentration goes from simple demand, “How can EF do this?” has “How can Ethereum do this, and what role should EF play?” This does not mean taking a step back; We rather advance with a goal, a strategy and an intention, always guided by our mission to preserve the integrity and values ​​of Ethereum.

Impeccable unique

It was incredible to attend this growth of the ecosystem. Seven years ago, when I joined EF, Ethereum had less votes. Participation – both in the construction and security of the network – was concentrated in fewer hands and regions. At the time, as an eclectic dreamer (a title that I preferred to the executive director), I often wondered: what makes Ethereum not only different, but unusual irreplay? The answer was always clear but deep: True resilience, anchored in the values ​​of Ethereum. Ethereum does not grow like a machine; It grows like a garden, reinforced by its biodiversity, flourishing because The game as a whole is infinite. This vision – the infinite garden – was born from this achievement. Today, Ethereum thrives as a voice collage: developers and basic researchers refining the Protocol, L2 teams allowing scalability, manufacturers of applications punching Ethereum in the real world and local communities shaping its future in their own way. This wealth –where technical and social innovation is intertwined and influenced by– is not only a characteristic of Ethereum; This is the reason why he continues.

When we hear “Decentralization is the only way to build in my country” From someone in a place where democracy is broken, it reminds us how the technical choices of Ethereum have deep human implications. Although this infinite game cannot be played by EF alone, we remain determined to maintain the values ​​that allow the technical and social innovation of Ethereum to continue to serve humanity.

THANKS

When I discussed for the first time the possibility of going to the president with Vitalik a year ago, it was with the intention of continuing to feed the unique culture of Ethereum and serve as a voice to fill the gap between Ethereum and the larger world community. As in the superposition of rhythm, culture evolves the slowest, but it provides a solid base for all of the following (“If the slow parts are not sometimes frustrating, they do not do their job – SB”). Culture continues far beyond market cycles, supports us in winter and propels us in spring.

Thank you to each person who has been part of my trip during my last seven years and to those who have encouraged me to stay faithful to myself. The growing EEC and support for Ethereum often required unconventional approaches and decisions that disputed traditional organizational wisdom. I am deeply grateful to those who inspired me to remain daring and to trust the pursuit of our values ​​would turn on the path to follow. It was never easy driving, and I couldn’t have done it without you. And my deep appreciation to all at the Ethereum Foundation, past and present, which patiently and courageously participated in this extraordinary and unconventional trip together.

Thank you to all those who continue to remind me why we are here first.

Let’s continue to build in the garden.

–

Aya Miyaguchi