Ethereum Foundation Researchers Resign From EigenLayer Advisory Roles Amid Controversy

According to CoinDesk, Ethereum Foundation researchers Dankrad Feist and Justin Drake have resigned from their advisory roles at EigenLayer following a controversy over potential conflicts of interest within the Ethereum community. EigenLayer is a prominent cryptocurrency project that allows crypto applications to leverage Ethereum’s security through a concept called 'restaking.' Feist and Drake, well-known researchers at the Ethereum Foundation, had accepted advisory roles with EigenLayer earlier this year, receiving significant sums of EIGEN tokens in return for their guidance on the project’s roadmap. This situation sparked a debate within the Ethereum community about conflicts of interest and industry norms. On Saturday, both researchers announced their resignation from EigenLayer. Feist acknowledged the controversy in an X post, stating, 'While I believe that the role was negotiated in good faith and with the aim of making sure that EigenLayer is well aligned with Ethereum, I understand that the perception of this relationship has been different and that for many the conflict of interest this creates is difficult to reconcile with my role as an Ethereum researcher.' Drake also apologized to the Ethereum community and his colleagues, admitting that accepting the advisory role was a mistake. He clarified that his advisorship ended before any of his EIGEN tokens had vested. The Ethereum Foundation, which regularly awards grants to projects within the Ethereum ecosystem, has a significant stake in the network’s development. Some community members were concerned that EigenLayer’s payouts to foundation researchers could influence the Ethereum network’s development roadmap. In addition to resigning from EigenLayer, Drake committed to avoiding future investments or advisory roles. 'Going forward I will turn down all advisorships, angel investments, and security councils,' Drake stated on X. 'This personal policy goes above and beyond the recent EF-wide conflict of interest policy, not because that was asked of me but because I want to signal commitment to neutrality.'