{"id":"josh-stark","title":"Josh Stark","content":"**Josh Stark** is a member of the management team at the [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) [Foundation](https://iq.wiki/wiki/foundation) and a co-founder of [ETHGlobal](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethglobal). A lawyer by training, he is a prominent figure within the [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) ecosystem, known for his work in ecosystem development, his public speaking, and his influential writings on [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum)'s core value proposition, scaling solutions, and the principles of [Web3](https://iq.wiki/wiki/web3). [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-psIDHwtTE77NQFCE) [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-qbbPL4HTF3w5chD1)​\n\n## Education\n\nStark is a lawyer by training. He earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from The University of British Columbia, which he attended from 2006 to 2011. He subsequently pursued a legal education at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Law, where he received his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree in 2014. [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-qbbPL4HTF3w5chD1) [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-cZQBqVkf2bOHLjlq)​\n\n## Career\n\n### Early Career and Transition to Tech\n\nAfter completing his law degree, Stark worked as a Student-at-Law at the Canadian law firm Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP from July 2013 to May 2014. His first major role at the nexus of technology and operations was at Lendified, a Toronto-based fintech startup, where he served as Head of Operations & Legal from August 2015 to September 2016. [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-qbbPL4HTF3w5chD1)​\n\nStark entered the cryptocurrency industry in October 2016, joining Ledger, a prominent hardware wallet company, as Head of Operations, a position he held until December 2017. During this period, he also held the role of Operations Lead at L4, a venture building and research firm focused on [Web3](https://iq.wiki/wiki/web3). Some sources also identify him as a co-founder of Ledger Labs, a legal technology startup. [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-qbbPL4HTF3w5chD1) [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-cZQBqVkf2bOHLjlq)​\n\n### ETHGlobal\n\nIn January 2018, Stark co-founded [ETHGlobal](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethglobal), an organization that runs a global series of hackathons and events for the [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) community. He served in a leadership capacity at [ETHGlobal](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethglobal) until March 2021. The organization is widely recognized as the world's largest community for [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) developers and has been instrumental in onboarding a significant number of developers into the ecosystem. The hackathons organized by [ETHGlobal](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethglobal) have served as a launchpad for numerous [Web3](https://iq.wiki/wiki/web3) projects and have become a cornerstone of the community's growth and innovation. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-psIDHwtTE77NQFCE) [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-qbbPL4HTF3w5chD1)​\n\n### Ethereum Foundation\n\nStark joined the [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) [Foundation](https://iq.wiki/wiki/foundation) in March 2021, where he serves on the management team. In this capacity, he leads a team focused on community and ecosystem development. His responsibilities involve guiding the non-profit's efforts to support public goods and helping the [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) network navigate the challenges and opportunities associated with becoming a global, open-source infrastructure for a new internet. He is a key contributor to communicating [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum)'s long-term vision and strategic direction. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-psIDHwtTE77NQFCE) [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-qbbPL4HTF3w5chD1)​\n\n## Philosophy and Contributions\n\n### Ethereum's \"Hardness\"\n\nStark's primary intellectual contribution is the concept of \"hardness\" as Ethereum's most essential characteristic. He defines \"hardness\" as the platform's ability to provide strong, credible guarantees of predictability and immutability for applications built on it. In his view, Ethereum's core function is to ensure that code, once deployed, will execute exactly as written without interference from corporations or governments. This creates a reliable foundation for digital property rights and contracts. [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-8CeEAml2Gc80XN7p)​","summary":"Josh Stark is a member of the management team at the Ethereum Foundation and a co-founder of ETHGlobal. A lawyer by training, he is a prominent writer and speaker focused on Ethereum's ecosystem development, governance, and long-term value.","images":[{"id":"QmbtdXdAPtds2qfcvZ9fxypBmrt5msckKV4ScVs43cAx8D","type":"image/jpeg, image/png"}],"categories":[{"id":"people","title":"people"}],"tags":[{"id":"PeopleInDeFi"},{"id":"Founders"},{"id":"Ethereum"},{"id":"Speakers"},{"id":"Organizations"}],"media":[],"metadata":[{"id":"references","value":"[{\"id\":\"psIDHwtTE77NQFCE\",\"description\":\"Consensus 2025 - Josh Stark\",\"timestamp\":1772626482375,\"url\":\"https://consensus2025.coindesk.com/agenda/speaker/-josh-stark\"},{\"id\":\"qbbPL4HTF3w5chD1\",\"description\":\"CypherHunter - Josh Stark\",\"timestamp\":1772626495940,\"url\":\"https://www.cypherhunter.com/en/p/josh-stark/\"},{\"id\":\"cZQBqVkf2bOHLjlq\",\"description\":\"RootData - Josh Stark\",\"timestamp\":1772626502025,\"url\":\"https://www.rootdata.com/member/Josh%20Stark?k=MTE1NjA%3D\"},{\"id\":\"8CeEAml2Gc80XN7p\",\"description\":\"Crypto Slate - Ethereum Foundation’s Josh Stark highlights ETH’s ‘hardness’ as it hits 3-year low against Bitcoin\",\"timestamp\":1772626517305,\"url\":\"https://cryptoslate.com/ethereum-foundations-josh-stark-highlights-eths-hardness-as-it-hits-3-year-low-against-bitcoin/\"}]"},{"id":"twitter_profile","value":"https://x.com/0xstark"},{"id":"medium_profile","value":"https://jjmstark.medium.com/"},{"id":"location","value":"Toronto, Ontario, Canada"},{"id":"commit-message","value":"\"Added wiki page for Josh Stark\""}],"events":[{"id":"a588350d-7ad7-457a-9376-7b4a071b432a","date":"2011-05","title":"Graduated with Bachelor of Arts","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Graduated from The University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree.","link":null,"multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null},{"id":"9b1a87a1-c169-4ca8-9983-5de8656dcde7","date":"2014-05","title":"Graduated with Juris Doctor","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Graduated from the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law, with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree.","link":null,"multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null},{"id":"1ce9039a-c156-43b1-a3aa-3c34b14483ce","date":"2018-01","title":"Co-founded ETHGlobal","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Co-founded ETHGlobal, an organization that runs a series of Ethereum-focused hackathons to foster the developer community.","link":null,"multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null},{"id":"fdf29abc-f13d-4e07-bd36-e9107e5c1166","date":"2021-03","title":"Joined Ethereum Foundation","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Joined the management team of the Ethereum Foundation, leading a team focused on community, ecosystem development, and public goods.","link":null,"multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null}],"user":{"id":"0x8af7a19a26d8fbc48defb35aefb15ec8c407f889"},"author":{"id":"0x8af7a19a26d8fbc48defb35aefb15ec8c407f889"},"operator":{"id":"0x4a2bC97afBF41a2Cbf4b4628F63420682Ff4CF2a"},"language":"en","version":1,"linkedWikis":{"blockchains":[],"founders":[],"speakers":[]}}