Ethereum Core Dev Leaves Ethereum to Join Stripe-Backed Tempo Project

TL;DR:

• Dankrad Feist, creator of Danksharding and a central figure in Ethereum since 2018, is leaving the Ethereum Foundation to join Tempo, a payment blockchain powered by Stripe and Paradigm.
• Feist says Ethereum and Tempo share the same ideals of decentralization and that the two networks may complement each other in the future.
• The crypto community considers his departure a significant loss, although Vitalik Buterin acknowledged his legacy. Tempo aims to connect blockchain infrastructure with real-world companies such as OpenAI, Revolut, and Deutsche Bank.

Ethereum’s ecosystem has lost one of its most influential figures. Dankrad Feist, a key researcher since 2018 and co-author of the Danksharding design, announced his departure from the Ethereum Foundation (EF) to join Tempo, a new blockchain focused on payments and backed by Stripe and Paradigm. His departure has generated mixed reactions in the community, which perceives it as both a strategic loss and a natural evolution of his vision.

Feist explained that his decision stems from a motivation that, in a way, goes back to the roots of cryptocurrencies: payments. In his statement, he pointed out that “payments used to be at the center of the crypto ecosystem,” and that he sees Tempo as a unique opportunity to realize that ambition with “relentless execution” on the technical and operational sides.

Tempo and Ethereum: parallel paths with shared ideals

Tempo defines itself as an Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-compatible blockchain, optimized for large-scale financial applications. Patrick Collison, CEO of Stripe, described it as a network capable of serving companies such as Anthropic, Deutsche Bank, Nubank, OpenAI, Revolut, and Shopify. Its approach combines crypto infrastructure with real financial services, seeking to integrate the blockchain world with the traditional economy.

Feist insisted that his departure does not imply a break with Ethereum. He emphasized that both projects share “the same ideals of open permission” and that Tempo’s technology can “easily be integrated back” into Ethereum. His vision points to synergy, not competition.

The news has generated multiple reactions in the community. Ryan Sean Adams, co-founder of Bankless, noted that Tempo “is filling up with Ethereum veterans who still love the project but feel somewhat disenchanted.” For his part, Vitalik Buterin acknowledged Feist’s contribution, calling him “an exceptional researcher” and wishing him success in his new endeavor.

In an ecosystem accustomed to forks and rebirths, Feist’s departure leaves a sense of perplexity: is it a goodbye or the beginning of a more ambitious bridge between the idealism of Ethereum and the financial practicality of Tempo?