Josh Stark exits Ethereum Foundation to focus on family

Josh Stark, a researcher and project manager at the Ethereum Foundation, announced on X on Thursday that he is leaving the nonprofit after five years to take personal time and focus on family and friends. He wrote he has “no plans for the future.” The Foundation has not provided further details and has not named a successor. Stark is listed as one of four people in the organization’s management structure.

In his post, Stark highlighted milestones he helped oversee, including Ethereum’s launch, the growth of decentralized finance and the network’s transition to Proof of Stake. He wrote: “The Ethereum ecosystem has reliably done things the world told us were impossible. It is easy to forget how much real fear and doubt there was that Ethereum would never launch, that decentralized finance (DeFi) would never work, or that Proof of Stake would never ship.” Requests for further comment were not answered by publication.

The departure follows a series of leadership changes that began in January 2025 when co-founder Vitalik Buterin announced a new direction for the Foundation. Buterin outlined plans to bring in fresh talent, increase decentralization and focus on protocol development to improve transaction throughput and speeds. He added that the Foundation would not engage in ideological disputes, lobby U.S. lawmakers or represent vested interests.

The Foundation named new co-directors in March 2025, appointing researcher Hsiao-Wei Wang and Nethermind CEO Tomasz Stańczak. Stańczak stepped down in February 2026; Wang remains on the management board. Stark’s exit came one day after contributor Trent Van Epps announced his resignation.

The Ethereum Foundation is a nonprofit that supports development of the Ethereum protocol and its ecosystem. Stark’s role involved coordinating research and development priorities across the organization.