Ethereum Core Developers Paid Well Under Market Levels Despite Running the Network: Report
Ethereum core builders are incomes far under market requirements at the same time as they carry the duty of maintaining the world’s second-largest blockchain safe and purposeful, a report reveals.
Protocol Guild, a collective that funds round 190 Ethereum core contributors, launched compensation data this week, revealing that salaries for these builders sit 50% to 60% under what they might earn elsewhere.
The survey drew responses from 111 members throughout 11 organizations, making it the most complete snapshot of pay in Ethereum’s core ecosystem to this point.
Only 37% Of Contributors Receive Tokens Or Equity Grants
Median base pay landed at $140,000, whereas market gives hovered at $300,000 and averaged an attention-grabbing $359,000, laying naked the gulf in earnings.
1/ We are releasing the first-ever comp report for Ethereum core devs. Two putting takeaways:
they cross up not less than 50% of their market worth to keep up existential trade software program
↓ Report & thread ↓ pic.twitter.com/FDZ5qYOfHH
— Protocol Guild (@ProtocolGuild) September 9, 2025
One developer even reported turning down a jaw-dropping $700,000 package deal, selecting as a substitute to stay with Ethereum’s core work regardless of the steep pay lower.
The findings mirror a long-standing problem. Unlike business crypto ventures that may situation tokens or fairness, most consumer groups and analysis teams engaged on Ethereum core software program can not supply profitable upside packages.
Only 37% of contributors surveyed obtained any type of fairness or token grants from their employers. For the majority, the reply was zero.
Image Source: Protocol Guild
That absence of upside stands in sharp distinction to the broader trade, the place engineers at start-ups or exchanges usually obtain vital fairness stakes or token allocations.
Community Funding Offers Predictability Lacking In Traditional Employers
In Ethereum’s case, the entities using core builders are often non-profits, tutorial establishments or foundations, and so they lack the construction or enterprise mannequin to supply such incentives.
Protocol Guild mentioned it helps bridge a part of the pay hole. Since its begin in May 2022, it mentioned it has distributed greater than $33m, with a lot of the funding coming from initiatives that pledged 1% of their token provide, together with EigenLayer, Ether.fi, Taiko and Puffer. The assist vests onchain over 4 years, making the course of seen and predictable.
In the previous yr, the median contributor obtained $67,121 by way of this channel, which introduced general median compensation to $207,121. While nonetheless under market, it has eased a few of the stress.
Client Developers And Coordinators Earn Well Below Research Roles
The survey additionally revealed variations throughout roles. Researchers reported the highest median money compensation at $215,000, whereas consumer builders and coordinators earned round $130,000.
By expertise, these with seven to eight years in the area had a median of $212,000, however the determine dropped to $150,000 for these with 9 or extra years.
This pay construction locations Ethereum in a tough place as competitors for blockchain engineering expertise intensifies. Almost 40% of respondents mentioned they’d obtained ultimate job gives from exterior employers in the previous yr. Many got here from rival Layer 1 and Layer 2 networks that may afford larger packages.
Devs Keep Building Even As Pay Trails Market
The stakes are evident. Persistent underpayment might result in larger churn, weaker institutional reminiscence and slower progress on Ethereum’s improve roadmap. It might additionally make impartial groups extra susceptible to acquisition or, in worst instances, undue exterior affect.
Despite these challenges, many contributors stay motivated by values reasonably than monetary upside. Several respondents mentioned they selected to proceed as a result of they believed in Ethereum’s mission of decentralization, censorship resistance and credible neutrality, even when it meant incomes much less.
Protocol Guild framed the report as a name to motion. It mentioned ecosystem funders ought to acknowledge undercompensation as a critical situation and work towards scalable options. Without stronger assist, Ethereum dangers dropping the very individuals accountable for sustaining its infrastructure.
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