AI Summary
5 min readIn the same week the Ethereum Foundation explicitly positioned itself as "just one node in the network," two of its former core researchers, Ansgar and Caspar, launched ETH Labs — a new nonprofit research and development lab with a blunt mission: "to make Ethereum and ETH win." The timing is not accidental. The Ethereum Foundation is downsizing and narrowing its focus to core properties like censorship resistance, privacy, and security. ETH Labs is stepping into the gap, not as a replacement, but as a complementary organization designed to do what the EF is now explicitly stepping back from: putting points on the board.
The Gap ETH Labs Fills
The Ethereum Foundation has spent a decade building infrastructure — the chain itself, DeFi, the rails. Now, as Ansgar puts it, "it's ready for prime time. The global economy is coming on chain." But the EF has recently clarified its mandate: double down on "crops" — censorship resistance, openness, privacy, and security. These are the properties that give Ethereum credible neutrality. The EF is narrowing its focus, reducing headcount and budget accordingly.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:35) **What is ETH Labs?** - Ansgar and Caspar introduce ETH Labs as a new nonprofit R&D lab with the mission to "make Ethereum and ETH win."
- 2 (02:29) **The EF's Downsizing & ETH Labs' Opportunity** - The hosts connect the EF's reduced headcount and budget to the launch of ETH Labs.
- 3 (05:50) **EF vs. ETH Labs: Core Identity vs. Evolution** - A key distinction is drawn between the two orgs' roles.
- 4 (09:50) **ETH Labs' Mission: Putting Points on the Board** - The hosts and guests confirm ETH Labs is the org focused on execution and winning.
- 5 (12:46) **"Principles Do Not Change the World"** - A key line from the ETH Labs announcement is discussed.
- 6 (14:32) **ETH Labs' Stance on ETH (the Asset)** - The guests clarify their philosophy on the relationship between Ethereum and ETH.
- 7 (17:34) **ETH Labs' Work Streams: Protocol, Platform, Growth** - The guests outline the three main areas of focus.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
Ethereum has a new R&D lab, and its mission is blunt: make Ethereum and ETH win. In this episode, David sits down with Ansgar and Caspar, two co-founders of Ethlabs, to unpack why the organization exists, how it complements the Ethereum Foundation, and what it means to put Ethereum back on offense.
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TIMESTAMPS
0:00 What is Ethlabs?
2:35 The EF Narrows Its Mission
9:30 Putting Points on the Board
13:06 Principles Need Users
14:53 ETH the Asset and Ethereum the Network
17:33 Scaling, Interop, and Growth Workstreams
22:52 The Talent Behind Ethlabs
25:27 What a New Organization Unlocks
27:53 Pro Markets, Pro Growth, Pro ETH
30:51 The Trillion Dollar ETH Question
37:07 Who Steers Ethereum?
39:55 Shared Vision, Different Path
45:13 Funding Ethlabs
51:54 Hiring for Ethlabs
54:24 Ethereum’s Long Arc
58:14 What Comes First
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RESOURCES
Ansgar Dietrichs
https://x.com/adietrichs
Caspar Schwarz-Schilling
https://x.com/casparschwa
Ethlabs
https://ethlabs.org/
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