Francesco D'Amato, a protocol researcher at the Ethereum Foundation for five years, announced on X on July 16, 2026, that he is leaving to join Ethlabs, a nonprofit research organization founded by former Foundation colleagues. D'Amato stated he will focus on accelerating Ethereum's transaction finality timeline from the independent lab. The move follows the Ethereum Foundation's decision last month to cut 54 positions—roughly 20% of its workforce—and reflects a broader decentralization of Ethereum's research operations as multiple independent organizations launch with former Foundation staff.
D'Amato Spent Five Years on Consensus and MEV Research at Ethereum Foundation
During his tenure at EF Research, D'Amato worked on maximal extractable value, consensus mechanisms, data availability sampling, and execution-layer pricing. Those research strands form the backbone of several upcoming Ethereum upgrades and have shaped the network's technical roadmap for the next two years.
D'Amato described the departure as difficult but well-timed. "Leaving that behind is hard, but after 5 years this time of great change seems right for a new beginning," he wrote on X. He added that, for the first time since entering protocol research, he believes there is "a credible shot" for core work to advance outside the Foundation.
At Ethlabs, he plans to continue work on reducing Ethereum's finality time, a long-standing bottleneck that currently takes roughly 12 minutes under normal conditions. D'Amato stated that he intends to help Ethereum "finalize much faster, as soon as possible."
Ethlabs Launched in June 2026 as Nonprofit Research Hub
Ethlabs launched in June 2026 as a nonprofit founded by former EF researchers Ansgar Dietrichs, Barnabé Monnot, Caspar Schwarz Schilling, Josh Rudolf, and Julian Ma. Backers include Ethereum co-founder Joe Lubin, Bitmine, SharpLink, Anchorage, and Octant.
The lab's research priorities span settlement speed, network capacity, native asset issuance, cross-chain interoperability, and Ethereum's monetary design. D'Amato's hiring marks the first public addition to the research team since the launch.
The organization has stated that research decisions remain independent despite corporate funding, with contributions managed through an external grants administrator. That governance structure aims to prevent backers from steering the technical agenda.
Ethereum Foundation Cut 54 Positions Last Month
The Ethereum Foundation cut 54 positions last month, roughly 20% of its workforce, and dissolved its Protocol Support team. The remaining staff was reorganized into divisions covering protocol development, users, community, access, and institutional activity.
Other spinouts have followed. Earlier in July, former Foundation employees Mo Jalil, Oskar Thorén, and Aaryamann Challani launched EthSystems, a for-profit company building confidential infrastructure for regulated financial institutions on Ethereum, with backing from Bitmine, SharpLink, and Lubin.
The pattern amounts to a deliberate decentralization of Ethereum's research layer. Two independent organizations have launched within weeks of each other, drawing from the same Foundation talent pool and backed by overlapping investors.
FAQ
Why did Francesco D'Amato leave the Ethereum Foundation?
D'Amato stated on X that after five years, "this time of great change seems right for a new beginning." He cited a belief that core protocol work can now advance outside the Foundation, pointing to growing confidence in independent research organizations within the Ethereum ecosystem.
What is Ethlabs and what does it focus on?
Ethlabs is a nonprofit research organization founded in June 2026 by former Ethereum Foundation researchers Ansgar Dietrichs, Barnabé Monnot, Caspar Schwarz Schilling, Josh Rudolf, and Julian Ma. The lab focuses on settlement speed, network capacity, native asset issuance, cross-chain interoperability, and Ethereum's monetary design. It is backed by Ethereum co-founder Joe Lubin, Bitmine, SharpLink, Anchorage, and Octant.
