Ethereum Foundation Faces Lawsuit Over ‘Seppuku’ Pledge and Firing
Former Ethereum Foundation employee Kayleen Fulton alleges she was fired after opposing a controversial mandate and disclosing a cancer diagnosis.
Key Notes
- Former Protocol Support lead Kayleen Fulton filed an employment lawsuit in Colorado on November 4.
- The complaint alleges retaliation over a mandate dispute and disability discrimination after her cancer disclosure.
- It also records management clarifying that the controversial pledge was not literal.
A former Ethereum Foundation employee has sued the organization and senior figures including Vitalik Buterin, alleging she was dismissed after organizing opposition to a mandate containing a suicide pledge and disclosing a cancer diagnosis.
Kayleen Fulton, the foundation’s former Protocol Support lead, filed the federal complaint in Colorado on November 4. Her account includes allegations of disability discrimination, retaliation and interference with medical-leave rights. The filing presents her claims, rather than findings by a court.
A Thousand-Year Mandate Drew Staff Objections
The dispute centers on the foundation’s 38-page mandate, published in March to articulate its principles over a thousand-year horizon. A passage labeled “Source Seppuku License” paired a commitment to publicly available software source code with language pledging death by suicide if its terms were breached.
According to Fulton, 79 employees voted to remove the passage after a draft circulated on February 25. The complaint says Buterin promised changes, but the final version retained the wording within an illustration featuring cartoon cats and an anime-style character.
CoinScreamer reviewed page 11 of the publicly available mandate document, which contains that illustration. Its presence establishes what the published document shows, while the account of internal objections comes from Fulton’s complaint.
The Complaint Also Records a Nonliteral Clarification
Fulton alleges that executive Bastian Aue told staff on Friday, March 20, to commit to the mandate by Monday or be treated as having resigned. The form offered affirmation or departure with additional compensation.
The same complaint records an important qualification: Aue allegedly described the pledge as a cultural reference “not meant to be taken literally.” Management subsequently revised the form to clarify that the commitment did not concern literal seppuku. The initial March 23 deadline was extended to March 25.
Fulton and colleague Trent Van Epps organized a letter ultimately signed by 53 staff members. It endorsed the mandate’s general direction while rejecting the commitment process and explicitly saying the signatories were not resigning.
Fulton Challenges Her Dismissal and Separation Agreement
The lawsuit says management accepted the letter’s signatories as committed on March 27, but dismissed its two organizers on April 6. Fulton says she had disclosed her diagnosis in writing on March 24 and received no criticism of her job performance.
She seeks lost pay and benefits, damages and a declaration invalidating a separation agreement she says she signed under duress. The defendants include foundation-related entities, Aue, Buterin and two employment-service companies.
The foundation’s March launch announcement describes the mandate as an internal guide and says Ethereum operates beyond the foundation’s authority. That publication predates the lawsuit and is not a response to Fulton’s allegations.
In its earlier coverage, Protos reported that the foundation had not immediately answered its request for comment. The published mandate alone does not establish why Fulton was fired or resolve her employment claims.
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