The Ethereum Foundation (EF) has released a comprehensive new document outlining its philosophy, priorities, and long-term role in managing the world’s second-largest blockchain network.
The 38-page EF Mandate, published on Friday, frames a blockchain in which the Ether (ETH) token is only superior to Bitcoin. BTC$71,859.13 As a technology designed to protect individual freedom in an increasingly centralized digital world, it assesses market capitalization and lays out the principles that nonprofits argue should guide its development.
The document was filed during a period of transition for the organization following recent changes to Ethereum’s technology roadmap and the resignation of one of the foundation’s co-executive directors earlier this year.
“The Ethereum Foundation is the original custodian of the Ethereum Project,” the document reads. “The Foundation is not the parent, owner, or controller of Ethereum. We are not the ‘system’ itself.”
At the heart of its mission is the concept of self-sovereignty, which the Foundation describes as Ethereum’s core purpose.
“The first objective is to ensure that Ethereum becomes and remains a decentralized and resilient tool for self-sovereignty,” the manifesto states. “Our first guiding principle is that users have final say over their identities, assets, actions, and agents.”
To uphold its goals, the Foundation states that four characteristics must remain central to Ethereum development: resistance to censorship, open source and free (as in freedom), privacy, and security, collectively known as CROPS.
“We believe that these characteristics (CROPS), as an indivisible whole, must remain a prerequisite for all development priorities for Ethereum and cannot be replaced,” the mandate states.
The foundation also said it would measure its long-term success by how unnecessary it becomes. For now, the focus will be on tasks that other ecosystem participants are less likely to undertake, such as long-term protocol research, public goods security work, and coordination among development teams.
We plan to exit once the broader ecosystem can take over these functions.
“Our goal is to reduce the Foundation’s relative influence over time,” the team wrote. “Subtraction is rather a process that ensures Ethereum’s maturity: a growth trajectory with decentralization and enough strength to outgrow and outlive us.”
More broadly, this document places blockchain within an ecosystem of open technologies that support free decentralized systems. EF describes Ethereum as part of an “infinite garden,” a growing network of builders, communities, and institutions working to keep digital infrastructure open and resilient.
“The World Computer is a distributed infrastructure for permissionless computing, communication, and association,” the directive states.
The manifesto concludes by reiterating the Foundation’s long-term goals. It’s about keeping Ethereum’s promise as an open system where individuals and communities can coordinate without relying on centralized authorities.
“Our job is not to capture markets, companies, or countries, nor to capture or help capture those markets,” the document says. “We are here to de-capture individuals and establish freedom of association.”
Read more: Ethereum Foundation leadership shake-up: Tomasz Stanczak resigns as co-executive director