Ethereum Foundation Preps New Policy on Conflicts of Interest

The Ethereum Foundation is prioritizing a new formal policy to address potential conflicts of interest in light of recent debates around prominent Ethereum researchers undertaking advisory positions.

What's the scoop?

• Aya Miyaguchi, the EF executive director, announced plans to speed up the creation of an official policy to handle conflicts of interest.
• The move follows rising community discussions around recent disclosures from researchers Justin Drake and Dankrad Feist about receiving significant EigenLayer token allocations for advisory roles with the restaking protocol.
• "It is clear that relying on culture and individual judgment has not been sufficient, and we have been working on a formal policy to address this problem for a while now," Miyaguchi said. "We will be accelerating this work, and will share an update soon."

Bankless take:

It's vital to address and identify potential conflicts of interest to keep our best blockchain innovations uncaptured.

That said, while advisorships do pose neutrality issues, both Drake and Feist have maintained they will be critical and focused on EigenLayer's risks, and these are two people whose track records show you can take them at their word.

Regardless, Miyaguchi’s quick acknowledgment and prioritization of the issue signals that the Foundation is taking the matter seriously and is dedicated to upholding ethical standards and community trust. Keep an eye out for future EF updates here.