On July 30, 2015, Ethereum launched with an ambitious vision: to become a decentralized world computer. Eleven years later, the blockchain has been transformed by a period of upheaval at its core organization that few could have predicted.
Ethereum's 11th year was defined by a dramatic transformation of the Ethereum Foundation itself. Leadership departures, layoffs, a new mandate focused on coordination, research, organization, protocol and scaling (CROPS), and the spinout of EthLabs, Ethereum Systems, and Ethereum Institutional reshaped the organization as it sought to decentralize its own role in the ecosystem.
Technical Progress Despite Internal Turmoil
Despite the internal overhaul, Ethereum continued advancing on the technical front. The Fusaka upgrade rolled out, bringing improvements to the network's execution layer. The blockchain also attracted deeper Wall Street adoption, with spot ether ETFs gathering momentum and major financial institutions building on the network.
The Ethereum Foundation's reorganization was driven by criticism that it had become too centralized and bureaucratic. The spinouts were designed to push development and enterprise adoption into independent entities, allowing the Foundation to focus on core protocol research and coordination.
The Layer-2 Future
As Ethereum enters its second decade, the conversation has shifted from the main chain to the layer-2 networks that build on top of it. Rather than competing directly with faster chains, some builders argue Ethereum's strength lies in supporting the layer-2 networks where most activity now takes place.
The question for Ethereum's 12th year is whether the Foundation's leaner structure can effectively coordinate an increasingly fragmented ecosystem of layer-2 networks, independent development teams, and institutional adopters — all pulling in slightly different directions.
