Bastian Aue is a leader within the Ethereum Foundation (EF), the non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the Ethereum protocol and its ecosystem. In February 2026, he was appointed to serve as the interim co-Executive Director of the Foundation, working alongside Hsiao-Wei Wang. ^{[1] [2]} Prior to his executive appointment, Aue was a core member of the EF's management team and is noted for his strategic thinking and commitment to Ethereum's core principles. ^[3]​

Career

Ethereum Foundation

Aue has been with the Ethereum Foundation for several years, serving in various capacities before joining the executive management team. ^[2]​

Interim Co-Executive Director (2026–Present)

On February 13, 2026, the Ethereum Foundation Board announced the appointment of Bastian Aue as interim co-Executive Director, with the appointment being effective immediately. ^[3] He assumed the responsibilities following the decision of Tomasz Stańczak to step down from the role at the end of February 2026. ^{[1] [4]}​

In this position, Aue co-leads the foundation alongside Hsiao-Wei Wang, who had been serving as co-Executive Director with Stańczak since the dual-leadership structure was formalized in April 2025. ^[1] The transition occurred just over nine months after this structure was established, which coincided with Aya Miyaguchi moving from the Executive Director role to become President of the Foundation. ^[1] Stańczak, founder of the Ethereum client Nethermind, chose to depart the EF to focus on building a new project within the Ethereum ecosystem. ^[4]​

Previous Roles at the Foundation

Prior to his appointment as interim co-Executive Director, Aue was a key member of the Ethereum Foundation's core executive team. ^[3] In this capacity, he participated in high-level decision-making alongside co-Executive Directors Hsiao-Wei Wang and Tomasz Stańczak. ^[3] His responsibilities on the management team included a focus on grants, enterprise initiatives, and operations. ^[3] Before joining the core management team around early 2025, Aue had already been with the Ethereum Foundation for several years in other unspecified roles. ^[2]​

Reception of Appointment

Bastian Aue's appointment as interim co-Executive Director was met with widespread support and strong endorsements from senior leaders within the Ethereum Foundation. The official announcement from the EF Board highlighted his "deep organizational knowledge of the EF’s unique structure and values, and extensive experience within EF management." The Board stated that his knowledge is "invaluable for keeping the EF in good shape while continuing to move forward." ^[3]​

Key figures in the organization voiced their confidence in his leadership:

• Aya Miyaguchi, President of the Ethereum Foundation, stated there is "no one more ready to take on this role" and expressed her confidence that Aue would provide "steady leadership" during the transition period. ^[1]
• Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, publicly welcomed Aue to his new role in a social media post following the announcement. ^[2]
• Danny Ryan, a researcher at the Ethereum Foundation, described Aue as "the single most thoughtful and wise person I have ever worked with." ^[2]
• Martin Hansen of the Ethereum Foundation commented, "I've worked closely with Bastian [...] at the EF and he is the most thoughtful and best strategic thinker I've ever worked with." ^[2]
• Franziska Heintel, also of the Ethereum Foundation, praised Aue's "understanding of Ethereum and the bigger picture" and noted that "his strategic mind will be a great asset for this position." ^[2]