30s Summary

Two Ethereum Foundation researchers, Dankrad Feist and Justin Drake, have resigned from advisory positions at crypto project EigenLayer following conflict of interest debates within the Ethereum community. Their involvement with EigenLayer, which involved receiving EIGEN tokens, led to accusations of potentially manipulating Ethereum’s development roadmap. Both the researchers have now stepped down, with Drake pledging to avoid advisory roles or investments in the future to maintain neutrality.

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Dankrad Feist and Justin Drake, two high-profile researchers at the Ethereum Foundation, have stepped down from their advisory positions at EigenLayer. This decision comes several months after a heated debate surrounding potential conflict of interest within the Ethereum community. EigenLayer is an up and coming crypto project known for its unique “restaking” concept that lets crypto apps tap into Ethereum’s security.

Earlier this year, Feist and Drake publicly acknowledged their involvement in the EigenLayer project where they offered their guidance in return for a considerable amount of EIGEN tokens. However, this sparked controversy within the Ethereum community, creating a divide over what is viewed as a conflict of interest in the industry.

The two researchers recently announced that they are retracting their roles at EigenLayer. Feist noted that while the advisory role was well-intentioned and aimed to align EigenLayer with Ethereum, he recognized the perspective of his relationship was seen differently. He mentioned the challenge of reconciling this conflict with his role as an Ethereum researcher. On the other hand, Drake offered an apology to the Ethereum community and his colleagues at the Ethereum Foundation for the drama his role caused. He admitted it was a poor decision. Furthermore, he verified to CoinDesk that no EIGEN tokens had vested before his position was terminated.

Some members of the Ethereum community had expressed concerns that EigenLayer’s payouts to the researchers could potentially be an attempt to manipulate the broader development roadmap of the Ethereum network. In response to this controversy, Drake committed to not making investments or accepting advisory roles in the future to highlight his commitment to neutrality. The Ethereum Foundation regularly provides grants to projects built on the Ethereum ecosystem, playing a significant role in the network’s overall expansion.