Uniswap founder Hayden Adams has voiced concerns over the Ethereum Foundation’s (EF) newly formed advisory group, called the “Silviculture Society.”
Adams criticized the initiative for lacking clarity and failing to address the community’s concerns, urging the Foundation to improve communication and transparency.
Community Concerns Over Advisory Group
In a February 28 post on X (formerly Twitter), Adams shared his dissatisfaction with the advisory group’s formation and messaging:
“Honest, direct feedback: flowery language and a counsel of random people on Twitter is not what people have been asking for.”
He clarified that his criticism was not directed at the 15 individuals chosen for the advisory group but rather at the overall purpose and execution of the initiative. Adams believes the move does little to ease concerns within the Ethereum community, which has been calling for more direct, practical, and transparent communication from the Ethereum Foundation.
Beyond communication issues, the Ethereum community has raised concerns about ongoing structural changes within EF and its treasury management practices, which many believe are directly affecting ETH’s market performance.
Ethereum Foundation’s Response
According to an Ethereum Foundation statement, the Silviculture Society consists of external advisors who provide informal counsel to ensure the Foundation upholds core values such as open source development, privacy, security, and censorship resistance.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin responded to Adams’ concerns, describing the Silviculture Society as an experimental effort to improve community engagement with the Foundation.
“It is an experimental effort to create more channels for builders and other community voices to influence the EF, and in this case, the scope is core cypherpunk and regen values.”
Buterin emphasized that:
- The EF does not pay the advisory group.
- The group serves a one-year term.
- The advisory board has already contributed insights on key topics such as wallet security.
- The Foundation plans to introduce more initiatives to enhance community feedback.
Following Buterin’s explanation, Adams acknowledged that the effort was reasonable, but reiterated that the EF needs to adopt more direct and clear communication, similar to Buterin’s response.
Ethereum Foundation’s Leadership Restructuring
The Silviculture Society’s creation comes as part of a broader Ethereum Foundation restructuring effort, which has fueled uncertainty regarding the Foundation’s stability and long-term vision.
On February 25, Aya Miyaguchi stepped down as EF’s executive director and transitioned to a new role as the Foundation’s president. The Ethereum Foundation has yet to announce a replacement for her previous role.
Miyaguchi and Buterin have also hinted at the formation of a new leadership structure, though no additional details have been disclosed.
Ethereum’s Underperformance Sparks Criticism
The Ethereum Foundation has faced community backlash over ETH’s weak performance in 2024, as Ethereum has struggled to keep pace with other major cryptocurrencies.
Additionally, frequent ETH sales by the Foundation have raised concerns about its treasury management strategies. Many believe that these asset realizations have negatively impacted ETH’s price, leading to further scrutiny of EF’s financial decision-making.
The launch of the Silviculture Society has drawn mixed reactions from the Ethereum community, with Uniswap’s Hayden Adams leading calls for greater transparency and clearer communication from the Foundation. As Ethereum undergoes leadership restructuring, the community remains watchful of how EF will address governance concerns and ETH’s market performance.
