July 1, 2026

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Inside the Ethereum Foundation Overhaul: is a Multi-Node Structure Bullish?

The Ethereum Foundation just cut 20% of its staff and 40% of its budget. Two co-executive directors are gone. And the talent exodus has been quiet but real.

But the community didn't wait. In a matter of weeks, 50 institutions and Ethereum leaders came together to form ETH Labs — a new organization backed by Sharp Link, Joe Lubin, and Bitmain, with a mandate to build what the Foundation decided it no longer wants to. Is this a rescue? A power grab? Or the most important moment in Ethereum's 11-year history?

Last week on The Defiant, I sat down with Josef Chalom (Sharp Link, the second-largest public ETH holder) and Viktor Bunin (Coinbase) to get into all of it: the funding structure, the credible neutrality question, the ETH asset vs. protocol tension, and what's actually coming in the Glastonbury upgrade — including a technical shift that could finally make Ethereum feel good to use.

Guests: Josef Chalom, CEO of Sharp Link | Viktor Bunin, Coinbase

Topics: Ethereum Foundation, ETH Labs, protocol governance, institutional adoption, Glastonbury upgrade

Entrepreneurship

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Crypto & Blockchain

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IN THIS EPISODE

# viktor bunin

josef chalom

# joe lubin

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