TL: DR;
- Buterin co-created Ethereum, a versatile blockchain empowering app and program development through cryptocurrencies like ETH.
- His interest in math and programming started from an early age.
- His interest in crypto began when he started writing articles on Bitcoin after he discovered the token in 2011.
Biography
Born on January 31, 1994, in Kolomna, Moscow Oblast, Russia, Vitalik Buterin moved to Canada at six. Identified as gifted in the third grade, he excelled in math and programming, displaying a keen interest in economics. Despite his early academic ability, Buterin was socially distant, spending four transformative years at the Abelard School in Toronto, where his hunger for knowledge flourished.
Introduced to Bitcoin in 2011, he initially doubted its value but later immersed himself in its complexities. He contributed articles for Bitcoin, co-founding Bitcoin Magazine. Disillusioned with existing crypto projects, Buterin anticipated an adaptable blockchain, leading to the creation of Ethereum.
2011-2015
From 2011 to 2015, Vitalik Buterin played a pivotal role in the development and launch of the blockchain platform. In late 2013, he introduced the concept of Ethereum in the white paper, outlining a decentralized platform for smart contracts.
In 2014, Vitalik led the Ethereum team in a successful crowdfunding campaign, raising funds to bring the project to completion. The Ethereum network officially went live in July 2015, marking a significant milestone in blockchain technology. Vitalik’s visionary contributions during this period laid the foundation for a revolutionary platform that has since become a cornerstone in the world of decentralized applications.
2016-2020
Between 2016 and 2020, Vitalik Buterin played a key role in Ethereum’s development. In 2016, the Homestead hard fork was implemented, marking Ethereum’s transition from its beta phase. The Byzantium hard fork followed in 2017, introducing improvements to security and performance.
In 2018, Vitalik focused on Ethereum 2.0, a major upgrade aiming for scalability and sustainability.
The Beacon Chain, the first phase of Ethereum 2.0, went live in December 2020, introducing a proof-of-stake consensus. Throughout these years, Buterin’s leadership and technical contributions were instrumental in shaping Ethereum’s trajectory and maintaining its status as a leading blockchain platform.
2021-2024
Between 2021 and 2024, Vitalik Buterin and the Ethereum team focused on addressing challenges and advancing the platform. Notably, Ethereum underwent upgrades, including the London and Berlin upgrades in 2021, and The Merge in 2022 which integrated Ethereum’s original execution layer with the new PoS consensus layer (Beacon Chain), eliminating energy-intensive mining, as well as the Shanghai hard fork in 2023, to improve its architecture and scalability.
Philanthropically, he donated significantly to India’s COVID-19 relief in 2021. Awards, including the Thiel Fellowship and recognition from the World Technology Network, underscored his contributions. Buterin envisioned Ethereum’s future role in the metaverse and highlighted developments like zk-SNARKs.
