{"id":"ayako-miyaguchi","title":"Ayako Miyaguchi","content":"**Ayako (Aya) Miyaguchi** is a prominent figure in the cryptocurrency industry, currently serving as the President of the [Ethereum Foundation](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum-foundation-ef) and an Advisor at the cryptocurrency exchange [Kraken](https://iq.wiki/wiki/kraken). Her career is marked by a notable transition from the education sector to the blockchain space. Before her current positions, she was the Executive Director of the [Ethereum Foundation](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum-foundation-ef) and the Managing Director of [Kraken](https://iq.wiki/wiki/kraken) in Japan. [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-fbycTQOYXuu9XoLT)​\n\n[YOUTUBE@VID](https://youtube.com/watch?v=9KIXnWMK4L8)\n\n## Education\n\nAyako is a graduate of Nanzan University and San Francisco State University College of Business. [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-fbycTQOYXuu9XoLT)\n\n## Career\n\nFrom 1997 to 2011, Miyaguchi held several roles, including as a Highschool Teacher at the Nagoya City Board of Education and internships at the Japan America Society of Southern California and Intrax. In 2011, she was an MBA Advisor at Centro Community Partners and Net Impact VP Marketing at San Francisco State University. [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-fbycTQOYXuu9XoLT)​\n\nIn 2012, Ayako co-founded TABLE FOR TWO, a Nonprofit organization that simultaneously addresses hunger in the developing world and life-style related diseases in the developed world. [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-fbycTQOYXuu9XoLT)​\n\n### Crypto Career\n\nMiyaguchi entered the cryptocurrency industry in 2013, joining [Kraken](https://iq.wiki/wiki/kraken) as Managing Director of Japan. Her work focused on global business expansion, strategic partnerships, and educating the public, regulators, and investors about cryptocurrency.\n\nIn 2018, she joined the [Ethereum Foundation](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum-foundation-ef) as its Executive Director, where she led efforts to support the ecosystem through research and development, funding, and educational initiatives. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-G4XeWCWuq2YDzDPd) [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-gDtLo8tfnpeyz2x1)​\n\nIn early 2025, Miyaguchi's leadership was central to navigating the [Ethereum Foundation](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum-foundation-ef) through a significant, pre-planned structural evolution that had been in development for nearly a year. During this transition, she received a strong public endorsement from [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) co-founder [Vitalik Buterin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/vitalik-buterin), who defended her leadership on the social media platform X, condemning what he described as a \"scapegoat attack\" and affirming her importance to the ecosystem. [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-TQfY36fIcU6UZ6BC)​\n\nThis period of transformation culminated in mid-2025 with her promotion to President of the [Ethereum Foundation](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum-foundation-ef) amid a broader leadership and R\\&D division restructuring. In this role, she focuses on cultivating the foundation's institutional relationships. She also serves as an Advisor to [Kraken](https://iq.wiki/wiki/kraken). [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-gDtLo8tfnpeyz2x1) [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-G4XeWCWuq2YDzDPd)​\n\n#### Vision for Ethereum\n\nIn her role at the [Ethereum Foundation](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum-foundation-ef), Aya Miyaguchi has articulated a distinct philosophy for stewarding the [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) ecosystem, emphasizing long-term health and decentralization over centralized efficiency. Her vision is guided by several key principles:\n\n* **Ethereum as a Substrate:** Miyaguchi views [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) as a foundational, general-purpose platform—a \"substrate\" for building a more decentralized society. She highlights its potential beyond finance, envisioning applications in governance, education, and environmental solutions that empower individuals to create systems free from traditional intermediaries.\n* **Bottom-Up Innovation:** She champions a \"bottom-up\" approach to development, rejecting a corporate, top-down management style. Miyaguchi uses the metaphor of an \"Infinite Garden\" to describe the ecosystem, where organic growth and a diversity of ideas are nurtured, allowing the best solutions to emerge naturally from the community rather than being dictated by the Foundation.\n* **The Foundation as a 'Subtraction Layer':** A core concept of her leadership is the \"principle of subtraction.\" Miyaguchi actively works to reduce the power and influence of the Ethereum Foundation itself, preventing it from becoming a central point of control. By subtracting its own authority, the Foundation aims to empower the community and ensure the ecosystem remains credibly neutral and decentralized.\n* **Organizational Stewardship:** Upon joining the Foundation in 2018, Miyaguchi focused on establishing and improving non-R\\&D functions such as grants, community coordination, and operations to make the organization a more efficient and transparent steward for the community's needs.\n\nHer approach prioritizes the process of building with the community as an objective just as important as the technology itself. [\\[5\\]](#cite-id-nUVGdph8uDzGB41K)​\n\n[YOUTUBE@VID](https://youtube.com/watch?v=qloZm5_OnQk)","summary":"Ayako (Aya) Miyaguchi is an Advisor at Kraken and Executive director of Ethereum Foundation","images":[{"id":"Qma7mQuPazSp8kiWoFZJrF7QDBkZP91ZhwusqQ7K2pNfZq","type":"image/jpeg, image/png"}],"categories":[{"id":"people","title":"people"}],"tags":[],"media":[{"id":"QmcevpfkoYsDdKbxRS9U8gYHvTWR8SAAZdKHFwXVge7QMh","size":"0.008","name":"https://everipedia-storage.s3.amazonaws.com/NewlinkFiles/en/ayako-miyaguchi__98dd08_thumb.webp","source":"IPFS_IMG"},{"id":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugAr0RhesjE","size":0,"name":"ugAr0RhesjE","source":"YOUTUBE"},{"id":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KIXnWMK4L8","name":"9KIXnWMK4L8","caption":"","thumbnail":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KIXnWMK4L8","source":"YOUTUBE"},{"id":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qloZm5_OnQk","name":"qloZm5_OnQk","caption":"","thumbnail":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qloZm5_OnQk","source":"YOUTUBE"},{"id":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxU_oxT5VA0","name":"RxU_oxT5VA0","caption":"","thumbnail":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxU_oxT5VA0","source":"YOUTUBE"}],"metadata":[{"id":"twitter_profile","value":"https://x.com/AyaMiyagotchi"},{"id":"linkedin_profile","value":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/amiyaguchi/"},{"id":"references","value":"[{\"id\":\"G4XeWCWuq2YDzDPd\",\"url\":\"https://www.weforum.org/stories/authors/aya-miyaguchi/\",\"description\":\"World Economic Forum contributor page for Aya Miyaguchi\",\"timestamp\":1764197117581},{\"id\":\"gDtLo8tfnpeyz2x1\",\"url\":\"https://www.theblock.co/profile/346801/aya-miyaguchi\",\"description\":\"The Block profile for Aya Miyaguchi\",\"timestamp\":1764197117581},{\"id\":\"TQfY36fIcU6UZ6BC\",\"url\":\"https://thedefiant.io/news/blockchains/vitalik-responds-to-calls-for-aya-miyaguchi-s-resignation-amid-ethereum-foundation-controversy\",\"description\":\"The Defiant report on EF leadership controversy\",\"timestamp\":1764197117581},{\"id\":\"fbycTQOYXuu9XoLT\",\"description\":\"Ayako on LinkedIn\",\"timestamp\":1764197709670,\"url\":\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/amiyaguchi/details/experience/\"},{\"id\":\"nUVGdph8uDzGB41K\",\"url\":\"https://wired.jp/article/the-next-innovators-4-aya-miyaguchi-en/\",\"description\":\"Zen and the Art of Shifting Mindsets in Technology: Aya Miyaguchi interview\",\"timestamp\":1764199771027}]"},{"id":"previous_cid","value":"\"https://ipfs.everipedia.org/ipfs/Qmasc88WdasjuSTWCRtbTvBgQYN1JHddhxmCkSHoDeTB6C\""},{"id":"commit-message","value":"\"Removed overview, education, and career sections\""},{"id":"previous_cid","value":"Qmasc88WdasjuSTWCRtbTvBgQYN1JHddhxmCkSHoDeTB6C"}],"user":{"id":"0x8af7a19a26d8fbc48defb35aefb15ec8c407f889"},"author":{"id":"0x8af7a19a26d8fbc48defb35aefb15ec8c407f889"},"operator":{"id":"0x88D5B28842B30b2Bc8E0839f7bcBb7798F080263"},"language":"en","version":1,"linkedWikis":{"blockchains":[],"founders":[],"speakers":[]},"recentActivity":"{\"items\":[{\"id\":\"62a68e73-2d13-464e-8eae-4146491124ff\",\"title\":\"Ayako Miyaguchi\",\"description\":\"Ayako (Aya) Miyaguchi is an Advisor at Kraken and Executive director of Ethereum Foundation\",\"timestamp\":\"2025-11-26T23:35:00.352Z\",\"category\":\"Wiki Update\",\"status\":{\"icon\":\"RiGlobalLine\",\"label\":\"Wiki Updated\",\"iconClassName\":\"text-green-500\"},\"user\":{\"name\":\"0x5F670e0cC4DA6C70E811eb3b1ed2ce5f1361eE5B\",\"address\":\"0x88D5B28842B30b2Bc8E0839f7bcBb7798F080263\"},\"button\":{\"label\":\"View Summary\",\"icon\":\"RiFileTextLine\"},\"summarySections\":[{\"title\":\"Summary\",\"subtitle\":\"The summary was updated to include '(Aya)' in Ayako Miyaguchi's name.\",\"variant\":\"modified\",\"changeCount\":1,\"changes\":[\"Updated summary from \\\"Ayako Miyaguchi is an Advisor at Kraken and Executive director of Ethereum Foundation\\\" to \\\"Ayako (Aya) Miyaguchi is an Advisor at Kraken and Executive director of Ethereum Foundation\\\".\"]},{\"title\":\"Introduction\",\"subtitle\":\"The name in the introductory paragraph was updated.\",\"variant\":\"modified\",\"changeCount\":1,\"changes\":[\"Changed 'Ayako Miyaguchi' to 'Ayako (Aya) Miyaguchi' in the first sentence.\"]},{\"title\":\"Vision for Ethereum\",\"subtitle\":\"A new section was added detailing Ayako Miyaguchi's vision for Ethereum.\",\"variant\":\"added\",\"changeCount\":1,\"changes\":[\"Added a new section describing her philosophy for stewarding the Ethereum ecosystem, covering principles such as 'Ethereum as a Substrate', 'Bottom-Up Innovation', 'The Foundation as a 'Subtraction Layer'', and 'Organizational Stewardship'. [[5]](#cite-id-nUVGdph8uDzGB41K)\"]},{\"title\":\"References\",\"subtitle\":\"A new reference was added.\",\"variant\":\"added\",\"changeCount\":1,\"changes\":[\"Added reference: \\\"Zen and the Art of Shifting Mindsets in Technology: Aya Miyaguchi interview\\\".\"]},{\"title\":\"Linked Wikis\",\"subtitle\":\"The 'Linked Wikis' field was removed.\",\"variant\":\"removed\",\"changeCount\":1,\"changes\":[\"Removed the 'Linked Wikis' field, which contained 'blockchains', 'founders', and 'speakers' categories.\"]},{\"title\":\"Metadata\",\"subtitle\":\"A new metadata property was added to define the page type.\",\"variant\":\"added\",\"changeCount\":1,\"changes\":[\"Added metadata property 'page-type' with value 'generic'.\"]}]}]}"}