Dankrad Feist: Why Ethereum Needs a Wartime Mentality (And Why He Left the EF)

Nov 26, 2025

Dankrad Feist, a protocol researcher and architect with a focus on Ethereum scaling, recently transitioned from the Ethereum Foundation to Tempo. He discusses the urgent need for Ethereum's 'wartime mentality' to tackle pressing issues like the L2 finality crisis and scaling challenges. Dankrad sheds light on Fusaka's data availability breakthroughs and the importance of stablecoin payments in shaping Ethereum's future. He also addresses the technical bottlenecks posed by the massive validator set and the benefits of post-finality enhancements for user experience.

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ANECDOTE

Leaving EF For Real-World Payments

Dankrad left the Ethereum Foundation to join Tempo because he saw a clear path to scale stablecoin payments and touch billions of lives.
He preferred executing practical payment solutions over remaining in pure basement research.

ADVICE

Turn Research Into Delivery Roles

Integrate research with engineering and create protocol architects and research-engineer roles to drive execution.
Move beyond pure academic research and focus on implementing proven capabilities now.

INSIGHT

Specialization Reduces Direct Competition

Tempo and Ethereum largely serve disjoint markets today: DeFi on Ethereum versus payments on Tempo.
Growing user base anywhere benefits the broader crypto ecosystem via easy bridging and shared liquidity.

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