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Ethlabs Launches as Ethereum Research Group One Day Before Foundation Announces Restructuring
Ethlabs, backed by Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin and more than 50 contributors, began operations to advance protocol research and adoption. The launch occurred one day before the Ethereum Foundation announced a restructuring that will cut roughly 20 percent of its staff.
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Ethlabs, a new non-profit research and development organization focused on Ethereum, has launched with backing from Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin, Bitmine, SharpLink, and more than 50 contributors. The group said its mission is to help make Ethereum the settlement layer of the global economy through protocol research, infrastructure development, and adoption-focused initiatives.
Ethlabs described itself as an independent organization that will bridge protocol development with real-world adoption.
It plans to collaborate with users, applications, wallets, Layer 2 networks, infrastructure providers, institutions, ETH holders, core developers, and researchers. Backers and contributors include representatives from Uniswap, Base, Optimism, Eigen Labs, Flashbots, Polygon, Coinbase, Nethermind, ENS, L2Beat, and several members of the Ethereum Foundation.
The Ethereum Foundation announced a new operating structure on June 23.
The structure centers on dedicated Protocol, Access, User, Community, and Institutional layers, along with Operations and Management functions. The largest group in the new structure is the Protocol Layer. As part of the change, 54 employees will leave the Ethereum Foundation, representing roughly 20 percent of its workforce.
The Foundation said the restructuring concludes a months-long review of its mandate, treasury management, and organizational priorities. Ethlabs launched one day before the Foundation's announcement. The two organizations are separate, though several Ethereum Foundation members are among Ethlabs contributors.
