Ethereum Foundation's New Executive Director Aya Miyaguchi: From Teacher to Crypto Trailblazer

Original Title: "Aya Miyaguchi: Teacher, Ethereum Executive Director, and Her 'Infinite Garden'"

Original Author: Zen, PANews

Editor's Note: On February 26, Aya Miyagotchi, Executive Director of the Ethereum Foundation, was promoted to Chair of the Ethereum Foundation. Previously, internal organizational management within the EF had raised many questions, with criticism directed at Aya, who was then the Executive Director, until it was temporarily resolved under Vitalik's "mediation."

This article was first published on February 5, providing a detailed introduction and review of Aya's personal experience and crypto background. The full article was republished by BlockBeats as follows:

Since the beginning of this year, Aya Miyaguchi, Executive Director of the Ethereum Foundation, has become the focus of community discussion. Some opponents have called for a change in the foundation's leadership, and there have even been malicious threats against her online. On the other hand, her supporters believe that since taking office in 2018, Miyaguchi has consistently worked to promote the foundation's decentralization and long-term development.

Whether in criticism or praise, it is undeniable that Aya Miyaguchi, with over a decade of experience in education and the crypto industry, has forged a unique path. Her story is far from conventional: from a high school teacher in Japan to entering the cryptocurrency industry; from an educator in the classroom to an advocate in the crypto industry, and then to becoming a leader of the Ethereum Foundation. She has continuously crossed domains and transformed her identity.

From "Passionate Teacher" to Cryptocurrency Industry "Trailblazer"

Aya Miyaguchi was once a high school teacher in Japan, known as a "passionate teacher" due to her love for teaching and nurturing students with enthusiasm. She especially enjoyed designing creative teaching methods and stories to inspire students' independent reflection, criticism, and spirit of exploration.

"Like many other young educators, I felt uneasy about entering the teaching profession immediately after college." After working in the education industry for over a decade, Miyaguchi became tired of only imparting textbook knowledge; she wanted to guide students on how to grow independently as a "whole person" through critical thinking and learning.

While teaching, Miyaguchi often advised students to have at least one experience of traveling abroad in their lifetime. She also realized that as a teacher, she herself also needed to see the world outside or try other career experiences. Miyaguchi subsequently resigned from her job and went to the United States to pursue a Master of Business Administration. It was during that period that Miyaguchi's life began to intersect with blockchain and cryptocurrency.

Image Source: WIRED.jp

Miyaguchi got involved with Bitcoin in 2011. Coming from a non-technical background, she took a long time to truly grasp the concept of Bitcoin. After delving into the primary advantages of Bitcoin, Miyaguchi saw its huge potential in financial inclusion and societal impact. While pursuing her MBA, Miyaguchi's research focus was on sustainable business, and she also enjoyed studying microfinance, especially how to empower women in developing countries to achieve economic independence. Miyaguchi increasingly believed that Bitcoin could play a significant role in this area.

Jesse Powell, the founder of Kraken, one of the longest-standing cryptocurrency exchanges, was the first mentor who officially introduced Miyaguchi to the field. Through their discussions, she was impressed by the potential of emerging technologies, particularly how blockchain could enhance financial inclusion, tackle socioeconomic inequality, and enable human coordination. In 2013, Miyaguchi joined Kraken when the exchange was just starting to hire, with only a few team members. Initially in charge of Kraken's business in Japan, Miyaguchi later became the Managing Director of Kraken Japan.

In 2014, just as Miyaguchi and Kraken were starting to expand their operations in Japan, the infamous Mt. Gox exchange collapsed. The scandal spread like wildfire, tarnishing the reputation of Bitcoin and Mt. Gox with various negative reports, leading to a wave of panic and distrust towards Bitcoin in Japan.

Therefore, Miyaguchi had to take action. She proactively reached out to the government agency responsible for researching Bitcoin and related regulatory issues, introducing her background and explaining her relevant experience in the field. She also collaborated with the self-regulatory organization, the Digital Asset Transfer Authority (DATA), which led the Japanese government to decide not to regulate the cryptocurrency industry at the time, with these meetings serving as the starting point for regulatory discussions. Miyaguchi also co-founded the Japan Authority of Digital Assets (JADA) with others and actively participated in multiple regulatory discussions, ultimately contributing to Japan's cryptocurrency regulatory framework introduced in 2017.

Joining Ethereum: Coordinating Community, Projects, and Fund Management

In February 2018, Miyaguchi's career saw another significant turning point as she accepted an invitation from Ethereum's founder, Vitalik Buterin, to officially join the Ethereum Foundation as an Executive Director. The Ethereum Foundation, established in 2015, is an organization dedicated to advancing Ethereum's research, development, and applications, while also supporting community activities to drive Ethereum's growth. Miyaguchi is primarily responsible for coordinating and organizing the Foundation's activities, including internal affairs and collaboration with community members for initiatives such as education and events.

In fact, Miyaguchi had actually met Vitalik back in 2013. During her time at Kraken, she encountered Vitalik, who was only 19 at the time, writing for the "Bitcoin Magazine" and deeply involved in promoting Ethereum's white paper. For Miyaguchi, this meeting was a pivotal moment, as she later realized that Ethereum's potential far exceeded her initial expectations.

Ethereum not only enables Bitcoin-style financial transactions but, more importantly, it can bring revolutionary changes to non-financial domains. Through smart contracts and decentralized applications (DApps), Ethereum can support new governance models, environmental solutions, and educational systems. These concepts deeply resonated with Miyaguchi, and she believed that if Ethereum could realize the vision outlined in the white paper, it would change the world. Therefore, when Vitalik extended an invitation, Miyaguchi promptly agreed, deciding to dedicate herself to Ethereum and become part of its core team.

Image Source: WIRED.jp

Due to Ethereum's open-source nature, an increasing number of contributors come from the community, and the rapid growth of these external contributors has made coordinating internal and external work increasingly challenging. As the largest blockchain ecosystem, the Ethereum community is exceptionally broad, encompassing anyone working on Ethereum, including individuals, organizations, enterprises, the EEA (Enterprise Ethereum Alliance), and more.

When Miyaguchi joined, the Foundation was going through a relatively tough phase. Upon her arrival, Miyaguchi faced significant challenges. The Ethereum Foundation's work involves not only technical development but also community coordination, project funding, and fund management. Miyaguchi's goal was to communicate with various groups as much as possible to ensure that Ethereum's development was the result of collaboration from multiple parties. She once stated, "Our role is more like a coordinator than a manager. Our goal is to drive the overall development of Ethereum rather than monopolize work."

Ethereum and the "Infinite Garden"

Perhaps due to her unwavering passion for teaching, Miyaguchi, who had previously been a "gardener" on campus, likes to liken Ethereum to an "infinite garden," a metaphor originating from James P. Carse's book "Finite and Infinite Games." In her view, Ethereum is not just a technical project, but also an "infinite game." In a "finite game," the goal of the player is to win the match; whereas in an "infinite game," the player's goal is to keep playing, continually driving progress. In her heart, "Ethereum's mission is not for quick short-term gains, but for the long-term advancement and popularization of the decentralized ideology."

The metaphor of a "garden" holds additional significance. To Miyaguchi, the Ethereum community is like a national park rather than a meticulously groomed garden. It is full of diversity and vitality, where sometimes radical voices or strange ideas may emerge, but these can also be sources of new creativity. Just like ecosystems in nature, the decentralized Ethereum ecosystem also needs to maintain this diversity and inclusivity.

In the development process of Ethereum, Miyaguchi has always emphasized that decentralization is not just a technical challenge but also a shift in mindset. She believes that the value of decentralization is not only reflected in the financial sector but also across various social aspects. Many people have yet to realize that the risks to privacy, data monopoly, and abuse of power brought by centralization have permeated our lives. The decentralized thinking advocated by Ethereum can fundamentally reshape our social structure and change our relationships with others and with technology.

The Decentralization Myth of the Ethereum Foundation

In an early interview, Miyaguchi once stated that questions about how the foundation operates and what its functions should be should be discussed internally. However, when it comes to the usage of technology or how governance should function, these should not be decided by the foundation or Vitalik. "He, as an individual who has made significant contributions to Ethereum, also has his own views. But as I said, this should not be decided by anyone in the foundation. Foundation members can certainly have their own opinions and lean towards a certain choice, but when it comes to governance decisions, the final decision should not be made by the foundation."

However, as a decentralized project, the lack of transparency and community participation in major decisions such as personnel appointments within the foundation has long been a topic of criticism. Previous Executive Director Ming Chan was heavily criticized in the Ethereum community for being overly controlling, opaque, and failing to establish an effective organizational structure. Miyaguchi, on the other hand, was appointed directly through an internal invitation, endorsed by Vitalik, and "interviewed" by researchers and developers within the team.

Miyaguchi has also responded to questions about this hiring process, stating that the Foundation can certainly adopt an open approach and let the community decide. "If community members believe this is the best way and propose such a suggestion, that is also acceptable." However, this process involves not only the community but also the Foundation's internal organizational management. They need a candidate with global work experience and long-term experience in the crypto field, and I was told they believe I meet these criteria. "So while this process is not public, I think it's a good idea to let the community decide."

Recently, in an unofficial on-chain vote involving Ethereum community members, former Ethereum Foundation core researcher Danny Ryan received 99.98% absolute support and was elected as the next head of the Foundation. Consensys CEO and Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin also suggested that EF be jointly led by Danny Ryan and ETH France President Jerome de Tychey to enhance technical focus and vitality.

Danny Ryan, a former Ethereum Foundation core researcher, has played a key role in crucial upgrades such as Proof of Stake (PoS) and The Merge. Earlier this year, when Miyaguchi came under fire, Ryan also spoke out against the "mob-like criticism" directed at her. Ryan stated that regardless of any role in Ethereum's future, he highly respects and acknowledges Miyaguchi's leadership abilities, describing her as having profound strategic vision and a pure original intention. "There are many reasons for Ethereum's vibrant development over the years, and Aya has played an important role in it. The success of Ethereum has always been inseparable from her support and guidance," Ryan reflected in a tweet.

Vitalik Buterin also defended Aya Miyaguchi against accusations, pointing out translation discrepancies in the relevant quotes and criticizing some of the alleged violent attacks on her as "pure malice." Vitalik also explicitly stated in a tweet that he personally holds decision-making power over the EF's new leadership team and that ongoing reforms aim to introduce a formal board of directors to the Foundation, but until then, decision-making authority remains with him personally.

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