About this episode

The episode discusses the recent overhaul of the Ethereum Foundation and the formation of ETH Labs, featuring insights from key industry figures.

The Ethereum Foundation just cut 20% of its staff and 40% of its budget. Two co-executive directors are gone. And the talent exodus has been quiet but real. But the community didn't wait. In a matter of weeks, 50 institutions and Ethereum leaders came together to form ETH Labs — a new organization backed by Sharp Link, Joe Lubin, and Bitmain, with a mandate to build what the Foundation decided it no longer wants to. Is this a rescue? A power grab? Or the most important moment in Ethereum's 11-year history? Last week on The Defiant, I sat down with Josef Chalom (Sharp Link, the second-largest public ETH holder) and Viktor Bunin (Coinbase) to get into all of it: the funding structure, the credible neutrality question, the ETH asset vs. protocol tension, and what's actually coming in the Glastonbury upgrade — including a technical shift that could finally make Ethereum feel good to use. Guests: Josef Chalom, CEO of Sharp Link | Viktor Bunin, Coinbase Topics: Ethereum Foundation, ETH Labs, protocol governance, institutional adoption, Glastonbury upgrade

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