Dear friends
I will publish it today EF directivea document that serves as part of the Ethereum Foundation’s constitution, part manifesto, and part guide.
This was written primarily for EF itself, to clarify what we are here to do, the principles on which we make decisions, and what we must do and reject in order to remain true to our mission.
But it also contains the story of the journey from the source to the stars. This sends a message to our friends and allies in the wider world, including not only the Ethereum ecosystem, but the broader technology sector, and those we have not yet met but may soon recognize. Ethereum began with the question, “What if your digital life belonged to you, but you could share it?”
What started as a proposed protocol became a movement and then a promise. Free and open systems can secure, enrich, and expand human freedom. Coordination can not only respect self-sovereignty but also deepen it. And that trust can be maintained in code, culture, and common purpose.
That promise is what brought many of us here.
Ethereum has allowed people to imagine a digital world where they don’t have to give up everything to participate. A world where users can keep what’s theirs, act on their own terms, and coordinate with others without ceding ultimate authority over their assets, identities, and choices. It has created a space for building a different kind of future in the public sphere.
Our mission for EF states what we must value in order to protect the ultimate reason for Ethereum’s existence: the self-sovereignty of our users.
In order to be part of EF, our own team must remember that Ethereum must above all be censorship-resistant, open source, private and secure (CROPS). Self-sovereign use must be extraction-resistant and a seamless experience. These are the conditions that make Ethereum worth using, and therefore worth building on, and worth defending. Never replace them for convenience. Without them we have nothing.
Only on this solid foundation can Ethereum’s growth be unstoppable and its adoption become universal. Only then can we win.
We were the first custodians of Ethereum. Now we are one of many. And we hope that even after we’re gone, the principles here will survive without us.
Ethereum was never intended to start and end with the Ethereum Foundation. Nor was it intended to be the entire story. Over time, we have come to see Ethereum as one important part of something broader: what we often refer to as the “infinite garden,” a growing ecosystem of people, projects, communities, and institutions working to keep the system open, private, resilient, humane, and free.
The world in which gardens live is rapidly changing. People’s lives are now being run through more and more systems that people cannot inspect, cannot meaningfully leave, and cannot live without. Political conflicts are intensifying. AI-mediated environments are becoming more prevalent. Many of the systems that people rely on are becoming less accountable to the people who use them. In a world like this, Ethereum’s original promise becomes even more important.
Why now? Because it’s time. Ethereum is the technology of the future, and the future is in the present. Because we learned. As systems mature, culture cannot remain only implicit. Ultimately, what has been conveyed to us by habit, instinct, and informal understanding must also become legible in text. Putting it into words is proof of success. It means being well-constructed, well-shared, well-grown beyond any particular group, and that clarity is part of good management.
EF is not the parent, ruler, or final authority of Ethereum. Our role is management. It’s to help Ethereum keep its original promise, and nothing else. Mandate is our effort to articulate what it requires of us.
that’s the reason Our mission is now on the world computerfree for everyone to read, reinterpret, and remix forever. We publish the authorized version for your own use and without imposing any obligation on others.
We offer this as a clarification of our role, a commitment to our principles, and an open signal to other custodians within and beyond Ethereum.
Many thanks to pcaversaccio, Tim Clancy, Lefteris, mashbean, and countless others for their advice and feedback.
We would also like to thank Mr. Saito Tomo and Mr. Shiro for their artistic interpretation of the text.
With the greatest love in the world, we will always truly be yours,
—
Ethereum Foundation Board of Directors
