Ethereum just lost one of its most prolific researchers, Dankrad Feist, to Tempo — the Stripe/Paradigm co-production that’s building a purpose-built EVM chain for payments. 

The move has reignited debate in the Ethereum community: Is a venture-owned, EVM-compatible chain a threat to Ethereum mainnet and talent pool — or a healthy forcing function that clarifies what Ethereum should (and shouldn’t) chase?

On Monday, Ethereum co-founder Joe Lubin weighed in with a measured counterpoint, arguing that venture capital both extracts and contributes, and reaffirming Ethereum’s position as the “rigorously decentralized, credibly neutral” base layer. 

Prominent Ethereum…

Read more on Blockworks