# The EF’s Endless Manifestos

*Author: Bankless*
*Published: Mar 14, 2026*
*Source: https://www.bankless.com/es/the-efs-endless-manifestos-3*

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The EF’s Endless Manifestos

  
  Published on Mar 14, 2026

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**gm Bankless Nation,**
The Ethereum Foundation's commitment to ideology and values has undoubtedly served as a novel point of differentiation from more cynical leaders at competing blockchains, but still, sometimes it doesn't feel like the EF is all that great at reading the room...

In today's essay, David Hoffman gives his thoughts on the newly released 'EF Mandate' and what it leaves out of the conversation.

[*luma*](https://x.com/lucasmtny) 🫡

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OPINION

  
  
The EF’s Endless Manifestos

  
  
   
     
     Bankless Author: 
     
       [
       
David Hoffman](https://www.bankless.com/author/david-hoffman)
     
    
 

[![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e4/b7/e4b77544-5a37-4f0b-8824-8440aa348476/content/images/2026/03/image---2026-03-14T113820.521.png)](https://www.bankless.com/read/the-efs-endless-manifestos)This week, the Ethereum Foundation [released](https://x.com/ethereumfndn/status/2032460726728573298?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2032460726728573298%7Ctwgr%5E5dbbda313b9c92604c00ff09dc7ecb64f022ba96%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbankless.ghost.io%2Fp%2F8f916b34-b9fc-4770-96d3-5723d88c2314%2F%3Fmember_status%3Dfree) its “EF Mandate.”  

This is yet another public document of Ethereum’s mission, values, and how the EF will steward it – wrapped in flowery language, rainbows, and anime. 

I’m honestly tired of this stuff. 

[![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e4/b7/e4b77544-5a37-4f0b-8824-8440aa348476/content/images/2026/03/Xnapper-2026-03-14-11.52.17.png)](https://x.com/divine_economy/status/2032506684615143606?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)The time to write a ‘mandate’ of Ethereum’s values, as a guiding document for the direction of Ethereum, was in the 2015-2020 era. And I’m sure there was something like this published back then, too. It seems the main exports of the EF these days are these kinds of mood board documents to remind themselves, and us, what their vibe is. 

I worry that Dankrad's analysis of this document is accurate. This ‘mandate’ from the EF is saying, “Hey, we tried doing the whole ‘maximize Ethereum’s value’ thing, but we’re going back to building cypherpunk stuff only.” 

[![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e4/b7/e4b77544-5a37-4f0b-8824-8440aa348476/content/images/2026/03/Xnapper-2026-03-14-11.52.28.png)](https://x.com/dankrad/status/2032532067527856216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)I’m of the disposition that if you maximize the market value something brings to the world, then that is highly synonymous with maximizing the most good for most people, which is what I’m assuming Vitalik thinks he's doing when he reaffirms Ethereum's trajectory to only support the hardline cypherpunk side of Ethereum. 

In the mandate document, and also restated in Vitalik’s tweet, is the line... 

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