Ethereum's Ex-Foundation Insider Sounds Alarm: $30M Core Bill, No One Holding the Tab 💸

Former Ethereum Foundation member Trent Van Epps said the network must quickly build new funding institutions as the Foundation deliberately scales back its central role. Speaking on CoinDesk's Markets Outlook on June 26, Van Epps said he left the Ethereum Foundation after it became clear the organization would accelerate its "subtraction" philosophy of pushing authority and legitimacy into the broader ecosystem. He described the Foundation as intentionally reducing its central role rather than consolidating power, arguing that multiple independent institutions should eventually coordinate the network.

Van Epps framed the situation as a practical funding challenge rather than an existential crisis, estimating that core protocol development requires roughly $30 million annually even as the Foundation's treasury gradually declines. According to Van Epps, the issue is not shrinking technical needs but identifying new organizations willing to finance public goods that keep the network reliable and secure. He said his Protocol Guild initiative has distributed nearly $40 million to Ethereum core developers over roughly four years but is not sufficient on its own to replace broader ecosystem funding.

He pointed to the "free rider" problem, in which firms benefit from shared infrastructure without contributing to its maintenance, as a key obstacle. Van Epps said Ethereum continues to lead in decentralized finance, stablecoin settlement and EVM adoption, adding that those network effects remain difficult for competitors to match.

Looking ahead, Van Epps expects the Ethereum Foundation to operate in a narrower role alongside newer organizations focused on research, commercialization and ecosystem growth, and said the network also needs stronger advocacy around $ETH as an asset and a clearer narrative connecting the token to the network's expanding on-chain economy.