Wallets holding $159 million in Ether (ETH) have informally supported Danny Ryan as the next leader of the Ethereum Foundation (EF). This vote highlights ongoing leadership issues within the foundation, as the community calls for change.
The voting site offers a simple yes or no option about Ryan’s appointment as executive director. As of now, 582 wallet owners have cast their votes. Out of those, 569 (that’s 99.98%) are in favor, while just 13 (0.02%) are against. Keep in mind, this vote isn’t official and isn’t tied to any formal EF proposal.
Danny Ryan is a well-known figure in the Ethereum community. He was the lead coordinator for the Merge, which switched the network from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake. He also oversaw the launch of Beacon Chain in 2021. Ryan stepped back from the Ethereum Foundation in September 2024 due to health reasons.
The voting page was created by Fabrice Cheng, co-founder of Quadrata. Cheng described it as a tool for the community to show support in a more positive way than some of the harmful comments we’ve seen.
Calls for new leadership have grown during this bull market. Ether, the second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap, has faced challenges compared to other top coins. According to TradingView, ETH’s share of the overall crypto market cap has dropped by 36% over the past year, while competitors like XRP and Solana have surged.
Much of the criticism has been directed at Aya Miyaguchi, the current executive director of the Ethereum Foundation, who has been in charge since 2018. In a January 15 post on X, Ryan urged for peace, saying, “Even if you want to see changes with the EF, please focus on building a positive future.”
After a break since September 2024, Ryan has recently returned with two detailed posts on X. One called for unity and praised Miyaguchi’s contributions. The other discussed his current relationship with the Ethereum Foundation and his potential future involvement.
Notably, Ryan mentioned that he has “opened a dialogue” with Vitalik Buterin and others at the Ethereum Foundation about being part of this “new era.” These discussions have been ongoing since before his recent posts.