Ethereum Foundation sued after firing employee over mandatory 'Source Seppuku' suicide pact

The lawsuit, filed against the Ethereum Foundation and its Asia Pacific subsidiary, alleges that the organization distributed 'The Ethereum Foundation Mandate' in Q1 this year. The 38-page document outlined a vision for the next 1,000 years but contained an extreme oath on page 11 that essentially formed a suicide pledge.

The illustrated page, described as having an anime-like quality similar to Grimm's fairy tales with macabre elements, required employees to pledge taking their own lives with a sword to protect open-source code. Founder Vitalik Buterin later claimed this was merely artwork, not a serious requirement.

Employee Refusal

Scores of employees reportedly refused to sign the controversial pledge. The plaintiff, identified as FULTON in the court documents, claims they faced disability discrimination and retaliation after declining to sign the document, leading to their termination from the organization.