Why Ethereum will give 10x Return ? Can the New Team Make Ethereum as Simple as Bitcoin?
Ethereum (ETH) has lagged Bitcoin for most of the past two years, even as rival smart-contract chains such as Solana and Sui grabbed headlines. Critics often blame sluggish governance and hazy strategy at the Ethereum Foundation (EF)—the Swiss non-profit that steers, but does not control, the network’s evolution. Now, after a dramatic reshuffle inside the EF, the narrative may be about to change.
1. Why Ethereum Needed a Reset
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Market underperformance: ETH’s share of total crypto market cap has slipped while Bitcoin dominance has surged.
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Layer-2 cannibalisation fears: Some community members worry rollups are siphoning activity from Ethereum’s base layer rather than scaling it.
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Leadership questions: Long-time executive director Aya Miyaguchi drew both praise (for shepherding the Merge) and criticism (for perceived drift in strategy).
Couple that with public jousting on social media—complete with harassment and even death threats—and the EF faced intense pressure to “get its house in order.”
2. Quick Primer: How the Ethereum Foundation Works
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Mission: Fund open-source research, core protocol upgrades, developer education and outreach—without dictating technical decisions.
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Key vehicle: The Ecosystem Support Program (ESP) issues dozens of grants each quarter for tooling, security, UX and scalability.
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All-Core-Devs calls: Weekly technical meetings where client teams debate Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) and coordinate hard-fork timelines.
Unlike shareholder-driven firms or DAO token votes, the EF’s authority is mostly soft power and funding—but that still shapes roadmaps.
3. The “Shadow Government” Allegations
Author Laura Shin (in The Cryptopians) described an informal cabal inside the EF that influenced decisions from behind the curtain. While unverified, the story fuelled community demand for clearer governance lines and documented accountability.
4. The 2025 Overhaul—Who’s In, Who’s Out
| Role | Old Guard | New Faces / Changes |
|---|---|---|
| President | n/a | Aya Miyaguchi moves from Exec. Director to President—external relations & vision |
| Technical & Board Guidance | Vitalik Buterin (co-founder) | Vitalik stays on the board but exits day-to-day ops, doubling down on research |
| Co-Executive Directors | None | Shuai Wang (core researcher) & Tomasz Stanczuk (Nevermind CEO) run operations |
| Strategy & Outreach | — | Bastian A. (org strategy) & Josh Stark (project/marketing) join management |
| Board of Directors | Vitalik, Aya, Patrick Stöckli (legal) | Adds Shuai Wang; Tomasz Stanczuk notably not seated on board |
What’s Different?
Symbolic authority (Vitalik, Aya) has been separated from operational execution (Shuai, Tomasz & team), echoing corporate best practice yet preserving Ethereum’s decentralisation ethos.
5. Roadmap: Pectra → Osaka → “Glamsterdam”
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Pectra (May 2025) – 11 EIPs already live; smoother smart wallets, safer contracts, better staking UX.
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Osaka (late 2025) – Targets data-blob scalability, further fee compression.
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Glamsterdam (H2 2026) – Aims to slash costs and latency; the “Dutch rock-festival” nickname belies serious performance gains.
Vitalik has floated even bolder ideas—three-slot finality, ZK-friendly virtual machines (RISC-V), and “Bitcoin-level simplicity” for Ethereum’s base layer.
6. What Could It Mean for ETH Price?
| Catalyst | Bullish Take | Caveat |
|---|---|---|
| Clearer leadership | Faster execution, sharper messaging; may restore market confidence | Success depends on team chemistry & funding follow-through |
| Upcoming upgrades | Pectra ran smoothly; Osaka & Glamsterdam could unlock new narratives | Technical delays or bugs could hurt sentiment |
| Capital rotation | When BTC dominance inevitably retreats, ETH—#2 by cap—often rallies first | Competing L1s are waiting to pounce if Ethereum stalls |
| Institutional push | EF-backed “Etherealize” pitches ETH to Wall St.; tokenised RWA momentum grows | Regulation and macro headwinds could slow uptake |
Bottom line: The governance reboot doesn’t guarantee a price explosion, but it removes a key overhang. If the new EF delivers upgrades on schedule—and Bitcoin’s rotation thesis plays out—ETH could surprise skeptics with a fresh run toward all-time highs.
7. Final Thoughts
The Ethereum Foundation just swapped a murky hierarchy for a clearer, multi-tier model. Vitalik gets to be the network’s philosopher-king, Aya becomes stateswoman-in-chief, and a newly empowered operations team picks up the wrenches. Whether this re-engineering sends ETH “to the moon” will hinge on execution and the broader crypto cycle—but for the first time in a while, the leadership question seems to have an answer.
Stay tuned; Ethereum’s next chapter could be its most interesting yet.
