The Ethereum Foundation has laid off some members of its research and development team as part of a broader restructuring effort aimed at refocusing on critical protocol design challenges, the organization said in a blog post Monday.

The shake-up comes as the Switzerland-based nonprofit grapples with ongoing criticism over its management and strategic direction. Some in the Ethereum community have warned for over a year that failure to address key technical hurdles could threaten Ethereum's status as an industry leader, and the organization has already undergone leadership changes in part to address these concerns.

The foundation is rebranding its Protocol Research and Development division under the simplified name “Protocol,” and is repositioning the group around three main priorities: scaling Ethereum’s base layer, expanding blobspace (a key part of its data availability strategy), and improving user experience.

“The changes we’re announcing today are a departure from our previous ways of working, but we feel these set us on a more responsive and effective path,” the foundation said in its post.

The EF did not disclose how many staff were affected by the layoffs. “[S]ome members of PR&D won’t be continuing with the Ethereum Foundation,” the blog stated. “We hope these individuals continue on in the Ethereum ecosystem and encourage others building out their teams to seek them out.”

A spokesperson for the foundation did not respond to a request for comment.

The restructured Protocol team will serve as a hub for Ethereum’s core development efforts, aiming to improve public visibility into upgrade timelines, technical documentation, and research.

“We're hopeful that this new structure will empower our internal teams to focus more clearly and drive key initiatives forward,” said Hsiao-Wei Weng, the co-executive director at the EF in a post on X.

Read more: Ethereum Foundation Picks New Co-Executive Directors, Following Leadership Reshuffle