Lido founder Konstantin Lomashuk has signaled plans to establish a “Second Foundation” to strengthen the Ethereum ecosystem.
The move follows ongoing discussions about Ethereum’s governance structure and concerns over centralization risks. Lomashuk introduced the initiative through a new account on X, drawing mixed reactions from the Ethereum community.
— Konstantin Lomashuk cyber/acc (@Lomashuk) January 22, 2025
The Role of a “New Ethereum Foundation”
Ethereum’s governance has been under scrutiny, with some arguing that the network is becoming too reliant on co-founder Vitalik Buterin. Lomashuk’s proposed “Second Foundation” seeks to introduce competition among different research entities, allowing broader participation in Ethereum’s development.
The original Ethereum Foundation has focused on a “rollup-centric” roadmap, prioritizing layer-2 scaling solutions. While these rollups enhance transaction speed and network efficiency, critics argue they introduce trade-offs such as security risks and reduced base fee revenues for Ethereum.
The debate over Ethereum’s direction has intensified as community members weigh the impact of these changes.
Concerns Over Staking Centralization
Meanwhile, Lomashuk’s initiative has sparked concerns that it may align with Lido’s broader ambitions in Ethereum’s staking ecosystem.
In December, a community member questioned whether the “second foundation” would support Lido’s dominance in staking or oppose Ethereum’s potential issuance reduction.
In response, Lomashuk defended Lido’s role in maintaining Ethereum’s decentralization and censorship resistance. He highlighted Lido’s planned dual governance launch in Q1 2025 as a safeguard against governance attacks on LDO token holders.
The discussion extended to Ethereum’s staking model, with Lomashuk advocating for 66% of all ETH to be staked. He argued that this threshold is necessary to prevent validator centralization under large custodians.
Addressing concerns over self-imposed limits, he stated that any staking constraints should be uniformly applied at the protocol level rather than targeting specific liquid staking providers.
He also pointed out that the Ethereum Foundation has historically been challenging for outsiders to contribute to, emphasizing the need for alternative research groups.
Buterin’s Response to Governance Debates
The proposal and subsequent discussions prompted a response from Ethereum’s co-founder. Buterin clarified that decisions regarding EF’s leadership remain under his control until structural reforms establish a formal board.
He expressed concern over increasing pressure from social media discussions, stating that it creates a negative environment for Ethereum’s developers. Some core contributors, he noted, had privately voiced their frustration with the ongoing governance debates, seeing them as detrimental to Ethereum’s progress.
No. This is not how this game works.
The person deciding the new EF leadership team is me. One of the goals of the ongoing reform is to give the EF a "proper board", but until that happens it's me.
If you "keep the pressure on", then you are creating an environment that is…
— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) January 21, 2025
Crucial Clarification
Meanwhile, Konstantin Lomashuk has clarified that his tweet about a “Second Foundation” was speculative, emphasizing that no such entity exists yet.
He highlighted Ethereum’s potential as the “ultimate world computer,” encouraging broader contributions from the community. Lomashuk stated that any future foundation must complement existing efforts and promised to share further insights.
The tweet was just a tweet – no actual second foundation has been created yet. Ethereum is the ultimate world computer, and every Etherean can help it grow, evolve, and succeed.
If a second foundation ever does form, it must have a clear purpose that complements the enormous… https://t.co/lThO92MKh4— Konstantin Lomashuk cyber/acc (@Lomashuk) January 22, 2025
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