Forbes 30 under 30, Fortune 40 under 40, the youngest crypto millionaire at 19, and the youngest crypto billionaire at 27. As he said before one of the conferences: "Why are people listening to me? I'm just a guy".
He is the Ethereum creator, Vitalik Buterin.
In this article, you will learn more lesser-known facts about Canadian blockchain programmer Vitalik Buterin, which will help you understand him more and the responsibility he bears.
Who is Vitalik Buterin?
Vitalik Buterin is a Canadian programmer who created Ethereum and all connected to it: smart contracts, NFTs, and DAOs. In the process, he invented a new consensus mechanism and a special language of programming for Ethereum — Solidity.
This genius has created another level of not just cryptocurrency but the internet. He reimagines the modern economy and technology. He's striving to create a world where all have equal and barrier-free access to finance and the internet, and where communities rule.
When was Vitalik Buterin born?
The future Ethereum developer was born in Kolomna, Moscow region, Russia, on January 31, 1994. When Vitalik was 6, his parents moved to Toronto, Canada, in search of better working opportunities. Both parents were computer scientists.
It was obvious from the early years that he was a wunderkind. Vitalik was good at mathematics, programming, and economics, and could count 3-digit numbers in his head.
As known, the key to our calling often lies in our childhood. It looks the same here. Being a teen, Buterin liked playing World of Warcraft. However, developers once removed a key feature from one of the main characters. He was outraged that one centralized authority decided how it would be. Vitalik said, "I cried myself to sleep that night."
Vitalik Buterin's Education in Cryptocurrency
Perhaps you will be surprised, but Buterin’s career began not with programming or something similar but with journalism. And specifically, about Bitcoin.
Although he enrolled in the University of Waterloo in Canada to study computer science, there was nowhere to learn about cryptocurrency there. Crypto was a very young niche, and it wasn't taught at university, just as it is now. So, he began working in this job and expanding his knowledge in every way possible.
Buterin found a job writing an article about Bitcoin for 5 bitcoins — then it was $ 1.50 (I wish I could earn 5 bitcoins now for one article...). In this role, he began traveling the globe, speaking with various professionals about crypto.
His articles were good. Mihai Alisie, a Romanian-based Bitcoin enthusiast, noticed him and proposed creating a new media about crypto — Bitcoin Magazine.
The Ethereum Revolution and Beyond
In 2013, Vitalik created the Ethereum Whitepaper just for himself. However, many professionals in the field began to write to him about this project. In such a way, the team was formed: Gavin Wood, Joseph Lubin, Anthony Di Iorio, Charles Hoskinson, Amir Chetrit, Mihai Alisie, and Jeffrey Wilcke. On July 31, 2025, the launch took place.
Like most crypto projects, they attracted funds by issuing the native token Ether (ETH in short) and raised $18,000,000. Apart from that, Buterin received a Thiel Fellowship grant of $100,000 for the development of Ethereum.
To choose a name for his blockchain, Vitalik was scrolling through a list of elements from science fiction on Wikipedia. As he mentioned:
"[it] sounded nice, and it had the word 'ether', referring to the hypothetical invisible medium that permeates the universe and allows light to travel."
One of the designers proposes making the logo a diamond. Vitalik liked such an idea. It was easy and beautiful. In several years, he saw “Castle in the Sky”, an animated film by Hayao Miyazaki. It was about the castle that had a diamond in its base. Vitalik was surprised that the Ethereum concept appeared so close to this film.
Then, the crazy rise began. Vitalik invented smart contracts, self-executing programs that come into action when certain conditions are met. He created a programming language specially for Ethereum — Solidity. Based on Ethereum, other developers have created dApps, NFTs, and DAOs.
Challenges and Controversies
If you think that the Ethereum foundation immediately skyrocketed, it's not true. Even geniuses don't manage to avoid problems. We grow through difficulties!
At first, Ethereum was highly energy-consuming. The developers were even afraid that it would consume as much energy as the whole of Brazil. Then, DAO, a decentralized autonomous organization built on Ethereum, was hacked. The attacker managed to drain about $50–60 million. However, ultimately, these two events prompted developers to transition Ethereum from Proof of Work to Proof of Stake.
Some X users insisted that Aya Miyaguchi should be fired from her position as Executive Director at the Ethereum Foundation, claiming that "then the Ethereum rate will reach an all-time high in two weeks." Vitalik answered:
Justin Sun, founder of Tron, also known for buying a banana stuck to the wall, challenged Vitalik to a fight at Crypto Fight Week in Dubai. Buterin didn't answer him.
Vision and the Ethereum future
Who knows, maybe the decentralized world of Web3 will become a reality thanks to Ethereum and Vitalik Buterin. He never wanted to create a traditional corporation. He wanted to create something truly decentralized. The company is called the Ethereum Foundation and is open to contributions from anyone on Earth. After all, the primary aspect of Ethereum is its open-source code.
All further development is described in the Ethereum roadmap. The New York City Subway map is probably not as complicated as the Ethereum roadmap. It describes the various stages of Ethereum's development and its new features until around 2030. In addition, Vitalik recently shared plans to replace ETV with a simpler programming language and even introduce a new consensus mechanism (!).
How much is Vitalik Buterin worth?
Vitalik Buterin's net worth currently stands at $625 million, which temporarily makes him not a crypto billionaire.
Most of his wealth consists of his native token, Ether. When it was at a high price of $4,800, Vitalik's net worth was $2 billion. In 2022, Ether dropped to $800, and his wealth accordingly decreased to $300 million. Such a sharp price drop was caused by a bear market so it hit not only ETH.
On 12 May 2021, he donated $1 billion worth of the cryptocurrencies Shiba Inu and Ether to a global health crisis relief fund in India. Additionally, he donated to zoos and research on longevity.
With the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he publicly supported Ukraine. On 24 Feb 2022, he wrote, "Ethereum is neutral, but I am not" on X. He contributed to crypto fundraising campaigns like Ukraine DAO by donating approximately $5 million worth of Ether to Ukrainian charities. In 2 years, he donated again $400,000 worth of crypto.
Where does Vitalik Buterin live?
Ethereum creator lives in Singapore in a big house with a minimalistic design. Also, he maintains a shared team residence in San Francisco that resembles a student dormitory.
Buterin is a famous digital nomad (a person who travels and works using the Internet at the same time). Having visited many conferences, he has spent time living in Toronto, Singapore, Mexico, and Berlin. He once joked that he lived on Qantas Airlines.
Things We Don't Know About Him
Vitalik's Biography
Camilla Russo wrote a book about him, “The Infinite Machine”. Based on it, the film was shot — Vitalik: An Ethereum Story.
Transportation Choice
Buterin has never been seen driving or riding in any kind of special car. He couldn't answer the question about his preferences in cars at the interview. However, he said that in Singapore, the metro is the most convenient means of transportation.
Learning Chinese
After launching Ethereum, Buterin moved to China to communicate with local crypto enthusiasts because, at that time, there were a lot of people interested in crypto. With the app and live practice, he learned to speak Mandarin (the most widely spoken variety of Chinese) in several months so that he could freely explain Ethereum to them without a language barrier.
Vitalik Buterin’s Autism
The public has suspicions about some Vitalik Buterin’s illness. In fact, he shared about having autism. It's not dangerous, but people with it can hyperfocus on one specific subject (which helps them achieve success in that area, by the way) and have some issues with communication with other people. Among notable individuals with autism are Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Thomas Edison, and Charles Darwin.
Conclusion
Buterin doesn't think about money or power and doesn't start sniffing drugs out of boredom and a surplus of money. Instead, he is a true defender of decentralization and freedom. He seems to have contributed more than anyone else to the development of the crypto ecosystem.
Vitalik Buterin's young age works in his favor. He still has plenty of time to realize many powerful breakthroughs in the crypto world.
Finally, get some investment advice from him:
FAQs
How old is Vitalik Buterin?
Vitalik Buterin is 31 years old. He was born in 1994.
Who is Vitalik Buterin's wife?
You won't find photos of Vitalik Buterin's girlfriend or wife because he doesn't have one. At least, his mother said this. Often, mothers worry about their son's personal life more than they do themselves.
How much is Vitalik Buterin's IQ?
Vitalik Buterin’s IQ is 149. By the way, Albert Einstein had an estimated IQ ~160–190, Stephen Hawking ~160, Elon Musk ~155, and Sam Altman ~170. It seems we should fear not the rise of machines but the rise of Sam Altman.
Roman Zaika
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