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Nick Beckstead is leaving the Effective Ventures boards
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Eli Rose🔸·lincolnq
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Good(3)Good quality. Reputable source with community review or editorial standards, but less rigorous than peer-reviewed venues.
Rating inherited from publication venue: EA Forum
This announcement documents governance changes within Effective Ventures following the FTX collapse, relevant to understanding EA organizational accountability and the broader fallout affecting AI safety funding ecosystems.
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CommunityAnnouncements and updatesNick BecksteadEffective Ventures
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Summary
Nick Beckstead resigned from the boards of Effective Ventures UK and US on August 23, 2023, following over nine months of recusal from board matters related to the FTX collapse. His inability to contribute meaningfully due to the recusal made resignation the appropriate course. Beckstead had been a founding board member instrumental in establishing Effective Ventures and its constituent projects over 14 years.
Key Points
- •Beckstead was recused from FTX-related board matters since November 2022, covering a substantial portion of board business.
- •His formal resignation took effect August 23, 2023, as continued board membership was untenable given the scope of his recusal.
- •He was a founding member who helped build Giving What We Can, the Centre for Effective Altruism, and Effective Ventures over 14 years.
- •The departure reflects ongoing governance and accountability fallout within EA infrastructure following the FTX collapse.
- •No misconduct findings against Beckstead are stated; the resignation is framed as a practical governance decision.
Cited by 5 pages
| Page | Type | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| EA Institutions' Response to the FTX Collapse | -- | 53.0 |
| Longtermism's Philosophical Credibility After FTX | -- | 50.0 |
| Centre for Effective Altruism | Organization | 78.0 |
| Secure AI Project | Organization | 47.0 |
| Nick Beckstead | Person | 60.0 |
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# [Nick Beckstead is leaving the Effective Venturesboards](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/Defu3jkejb7pmLjeN/nick-beckstead-is-leaving-the-effective-ventures-boards)
by [Eli Rose🔸](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/users/reallyeli?from=post_header), [lincolnq](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/users/lincolnq?from=post_header)
Sep 6 20232 min read7
# 130
[Community](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/topics/community)[Announcements and updates](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/topics/announcements-and-updates)[Nick Beckstead](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/topics/nick-beckstead)[Effective Ventures](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/topics/effective-ventures) [Frontpage](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/about#Finding_content)
On 23rd August, Nick Beckstead stepped down from the boards of Effective Ventures UK and Effective Ventures US.
For context, EV UK and EV US host and fiscally sponsor several (mostly EA-related) projects, such as CEA, 80,000 Hours and various others (see more [here](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/GoWNiPbrEb6NHD3MF/announcing-interim-ceos-of-evf)).
Since November 2022, Nick has been recused from all board matters related to the collapse of FTX. Over time, it became clear that Nick’s recusal made it difficult for him to add sufficient value to EV and its projects for it to be worth him remaining on the boards\[1\]. Nick and the other trustees felt that this was sufficient reason for Nick to step down.
Nick wanted to share the following:
> _Ever since the collapse of FTX, I've been recused from a substantial fraction of business on both boards. This has made it hard to contribute as much as I would like to as a board member, during a time where engaged board members are especially important. Since this situation may not change for a while, I think it's a good time for me to step down._
>
> _I am grateful to have played a role in getting EV UK and EV US off the ground and helping them develop over the last 14 years since the launch of Giving What We Can. Projects at EV have accomplished a great deal, drawing substantial resources and attention toward addressing some of the world's most pressing problems, with impacts that are varied, large, and difficult to quantify. The people at EV are amongst the most thoughtful, generous, kind, and dedicated that I've had the pleasure to interact with. I feel very proud of all that we have accomplished together, and optimistic about the work that will continue in my absence._
As a founding board member of EV UK (then called CEA), Nick played a vital role in getting EV US, EV UK and their constituent projects off the ground. For example, Nick was involved in setting up the first Giving What We Can student group and helped to hire the first full-time staff at what was then CEA. We are very grateful to Nick for everything he’s contributed to the effective altruism movement to date and look forward to his future positive impact; we wish him the bes
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