$BTC Vitalik Buterin – The Genius Behind Ethereum**
Vitalik Buterin, a Russian-Canadian programmer, became one of the most influential figures in crypto by co-founding **Ethereum** in 2015. Born in 1994, Buterin was introduced to Bitcoin by his father in 2011 and soon began writing for Bitcoin blogs. Frustrated by Bitcoin’s limitations, he envisioned a blockchain that could execute **smart contracts**—self-executing agreements without intermediaries.
In 2013, he published the Ethereum whitepaper, attracting developers like Gavin Wood and Joseph Lubin. After a successful **ICO in 2014** (raising $18 million), Ethereum launched in 2015. Buterin’s early ETH holdings (estimated at ~333,000 ETH) made him a billionaire when ETH peaked near $4,800 in 2021.
Unlike many crypto billionaires, Buterin avoided lavish spending, donating millions to COVID-19 relief and other causes. He remains deeply involved in Ethereum’s development, advocating for **scalability upgrades** like Ethereum 2.0.
