a young Russian-Canadian programmer who developed the concept of Ethereum in 2013, recognizing Bitcoin's limitations for more than just currency transactions. He published the Ethereum whitepaper in 2013 and formally announced the project in January 2014. Buterin collaborated with a team of developers, including Gavin Wood, Charles Hoskinson, Anthony Di Iorio, and Joseph Lubin, to launch the Ethereum network on July 30, 2015, as a blockchain platform supporting decentralized applications (dApps) and smart contracts.
Vitalik Buterin's Background
Early Intelligence:
Born in Russia in 1994 and moved to Canada, Buterin demonstrated exceptional talent in mathematics and computers from a young age.
Hooked on Bitcoin:
His interest in cryptography and economics led him to the world of Bitcoin and blockchain. He even wrote for Bitcoin Magazine before launching Ethereum.
College Dropout:
Due to his intense focus on crypto projects, Buterin decided to drop out of college at the University of Waterloo to dedicate himself to Ethereum development.
Ethereum Concept and Development
Building on Bitcoin:
Buterin saw the Bitcoin blockchain as great for currency transactions, but he envisioned a blockchain that could run decentralized applications (dApps) through smart contracts.
Ethereum Whitepaper:
In 2013, he wrote a whitepaper detailing Ethereum's vision and architecture.
Collaboration and Launch:
Buterin, along with other co-founders, Gavin Wood and Joseph Lubin, worked to build the Ethereum network. They established the Ethereum Foundation as a development platform.
Impact and Evolution
Decentralized Applications (dApps):
Ethereum has become a platform that allows anyone to build and deploy dApps on it, such as decentralized finance (DeFi) applications and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
The Merge:
On September 15, 2022, Ethereum underwent a major update known as "The Merge," switching from a proof-of-work consensus mechanism to proof-of-stake, drastically reducing the blockchain's energy consumption.
