Ethereum Foundation’s Advisory Group Sparks Debate as Community Questions Transparency

Controversy Surrounds Ethereum’s New Advisory Council

The Ethereum Foundation’s newly announced advisory council, the Silviculture Society, has triggered criticism from prominent figures in the crypto space, with concerns surfacing over transparency and effective governance. 

The initiative, which introduces a 15-member advisory group selected from outside the Foundation, is designed to uphold Ethereum’s principles of open-source development, privacy, security, and censorship resistance. The council’s members serve without financial compensation for a one-year term, offering informal guidance rather than direct decision-making power. 

According to the Ethereum Foundation, this move is an experiment aimed at fostering more open communication between the organization and the broader Ethereum community. However, not everyone is convinced that it addresses the fundamental concerns that have been mounting over time.

Uniswap founder Hayden Adams was one of the first to publicly question the effectiveness of the initiative. In a February 28, 2025, post on X (formerly Twitter), Adams dismissed the effort as “flowery language” and criticized the formation of a council comprised of individuals with no official authority. He clarified that his remarks were not aimed at the 15 advisory members themselves but rather at the Ethereum Foundation’s approach to handling feedback from the community. 

Adams argued that this initiative fails to address longstanding issues, particularly the demand for greater transparency and more direct communication between Ethereum’s leadership and its users. His comments resonated with many community members, who have voiced growing concerns about the Foundation’s structural changes and treasury management, linking them to Ethereum’s market performance in recent years.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin quickly responded to Adams’ criticism, defending the initiative as an attempt to create new channels for builders and other stakeholders to have an impact on the Foundation’s decision-making. Buterin emphasized that the advisory group is focused on core cypherpunk and regenerative finance values and has already provided input on key issues such as wallet security. He also reassured the community that the group does not receive financial incentives and is purely advisory in nature. 

In response, Adams acknowledged that the initiative itself was “reasonable” but reiterated that the Ethereum Foundation should focus on clearer, more direct communication—pointing to Buterin’s own explanation as an example of what the community actually wants.

The establishment of the Silviculture Society comes at a time of significant internal restructuring within the Ethereum Foundation. On February 25, 2025, Aya Miyaguchi stepped down as Executive Director and transitioned into the newly created role of President, though no replacement has been announced for her former position. 

Both Miyaguchi and Buterin have hinted at a new leadership structure in development but have provided little detail, adding to the growing unease within the Ethereum community. The lack of clarity surrounding these leadership changes has only intensified concerns about governance and decision-making within the organization.

Beyond leadership shifts, the Ethereum Foundation’s treasury management has also come under scrutiny. Ethereum’s market underperformance in 2024, particularly in comparison to other major cryptocurrencies, has led to mounting criticism of the Foundation’s financial strategies. Repeated ETH sales by the Foundation have raised alarms among investors, with many believing that such asset liquidations contribute to price declines and erode market confidence. 

As a result, calls for more transparent financial disclosures and strategic clarity continue to grow louder, underscoring the broader tensions between Ethereum’s leadership and its community.

This article has been refined and enhanced by ChatGPT.