Important points
- Peter Shirazi, lead developer of Ethereum’s Guess client, has publicly criticized the Ethereum Foundation’s centralization and Vitalik Buterin’s dominant influence over protocol decisions.
- Siraj warned that the current governance structure risks the protocol being taken over by insiders and undermines the decentralized spirit of Ethereum.
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Peter Siraj, lead developer of Ethereum’s Guess client, expressed concerns about Vitalik Buterin’s dominant influence over the protocol and criticized the Ethereum Foundation’s centralized decision-making structure in an open letter published today.
Siraj emphasized in his letter that the structure of the Ethereum Foundation allows a small group led by Buterin to have significant influence over the direction of the project, creating a risk of insider control of the protocol. Core developers explained that Buterin’s central role in roadmap decisions contributes to “decentralized governance.”
Siraj also criticized the foundation’s treatment of long-term contributors, noting that developers like himself are undervalued, leading to “a diminished role for core developers and the pursuit of external income.” His concerns reflect a broader community discussion about concentrated influence within Ethereum’s governance structure.
The Ethereum Foundation, the nonprofit organization that oversees the development of Ethereum, is currently facing internal criticism regarding both its centralized decision-making process and its compensation practices for core developers.
