People

Vitalik Buterin

Vitalik Buterin

Formal First Name
Vitaly (Vitalik)
Dates
1/1994 - present
Location

Vitalik Buterin is a renowned writer and programmer who is most famous as the boy genius behind Ethereum, the world’s second-most recognized cryptocurrency platform behind Bitcoin. He is also the Co-Founder of the Bitcoin Magazine, the first-ever magazine to focus exclusively on Bitcoin. Currently, Buterin is geared towards uncovering scaling solutions for Ethereum that would advance it to become a more universal computing and settlement platform. Buterin has received several accolades for his innovative work in the blockchain space and his contribution to the ecosystem.

Professional Experience


Academic History

CHILDHOOD

  • Buterin was born in Moscow in 1994. 
  • He lived in Russia until the age of 6 when his parents decided to emigrate to Canada in search of better employment opportunities.
  • When he was in third grade of a Canadian primary school, he was placed in a program for the gifted.
  • He was naturally predisposed to math and programming.
  • He possessed an early and strong interest in economics.
  • He could add three-digit numbers in his head twice as fast as an average human being of his age.
  • He admitted that one of his favorite childhood toys was Microsoft Excel.


CRYPTOCURRENCY

  • He first heard of Bitcoin from his father in 2011.
  • He ended up spending his time on various Bitcoin-related forums, researching the network. 
  • He developed a passion for programming in 2013, which was fanned by his global interaction with fellow software coders.
  • He had a short stint at the University of Waterloo but dropped out in 2014 after receiving $100,000 sponsorship from the Thiel fellowship. 
  • He looked for work paid for in Bitcoins on various forums and eventually began writing articles for a blog, which earned him around five Bitcoins per article.
  • His articles attracted the attention of Mihai Alisie, a Bitcoin enthusiast, which lead to the two co-founding Bitcoin Magazine.
  • He made proper use of his writing instincts to publish a white paper on an idea he had: Ethereum, a cryptocurrency platform with new features that he missed in Bitcoin.


FAKE NEWS ABOUT DEATH


AWARDS
  • International Olympiad Bronze Medal in Informatics, 2012
  • World Technology Award in the IT Software Category, 2014
  • Thiel Fellowship Award, 2014
  • Honorary Doctoral Degree from the University of Basel, 2018
  • Fortune 40 under 40 list
  • Forbes 30 under 30 list


PHILANTHROPY

  • In 2017, he donated $763,970 worth of ether to the Machine Intelligence Research Institute.
  • In 2018, he donated $2.4 million worth of ether to the SENS Research Foundation.
  • Also in 2018, he donated $1 million to charity for Ugandan Refugees.


OTHERS