Vitalik Buterin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vitalik Buterin
Виталик Бутерин
Buterin in 2015
Born	Vitaly Dmitrievich Buterin (1994-01-31) 31 January 1994 (age 31) Kolomna, Russia
Education	University of Waterloo
Known for	Ethereum, Bitcoin Magazine
Awards	Thiel Fellowship
Scientific career
Fields	Digital contracts, digital currencies, game theory

Vitalik Buterin (born January 31, 1994) is a Canadian computer programmer. He is famous for co-founding Ethereum, a special kind of computer network. Vitalik got involved with cryptocurrency early on. He helped start Bitcoin Magazine in 2011. In 2015, he launched the Ethereum blockchain with a team of other smart people.

Vitalik Buterin's Early Life and School

Vitalik Buterin was born in Kolomna, Russia. His father, Dmitry, was also a computer scientist. When Vitalik was six, his family moved to Canada for better job chances.

In Canada, Vitalik was placed in a class for very smart children. He loved math, computer programming, and economics. He later went to a private high school in Toronto. When he was 17, his father taught him about Bitcoin.

After high school, Vitalik went to the University of Waterloo. He took advanced classes there. He also worked with Ian Goldberg, a cryptographer (someone who studies secure communication). In 2012, Vitalik won a bronze medal in a big computer science competition in Italy.

In 2013, he traveled to meet other computer developers. Later that year, he wrote a special document called a white paper. This paper explained his idea for Ethereum. In 2014, he left university after getting a grant of US$100,000 from the Thiel Fellowship. This scholarship helped him work on Ethereum full-time.

In 2018, Vitalik received an honorary doctorate from the University of Basel in Switzerland. This is a special degree given to honor someone's achievements.

Vitalik Buterin's Career

Vitalik Buterin has had an exciting career in the world of digital money and technology.

Writing for Bitcoin Magazine

In 2011, Vitalik started writing for a website called Bitcoin Weekly. He wanted to earn bitcoin (a type of digital money). The website owner paid him five bitcoins for an article. Vitalik wrote for the site until it closed.

In September 2011, a person named Mihai Alisie asked Vitalik to help start a new magazine. It was called Bitcoin Magazine. Vitalik became a co-founder and a main writer. This magazine became known as one of the first serious publications about cryptocurrencies.

Creating Ethereum

Vitalik Buterin is the person who came up with Ethereum. Ethereum is like a huge, shared computer network. It helps people create new digital currencies and programs. All these programs share a single blockchain. A blockchain is like a secure, digital record book.

Vitalik first shared his idea for Ethereum in November 2013. He believed that Bitcoin needed a special language for building new applications. When others didn't agree, he decided to create a new platform himself. This new platform would have a more flexible language.

His idea for Ethereum became very popular in late 2013 and early 2014. Vitalik officially announced Ethereum at a big conference in Miami in January 2014. He gave a 25-minute speech. He described Ethereum as a global computer that anyone could use. He talked about many possible uses, from crop insurance to special online organizations.

In 2020, Vitalik said he was thankful to work in such an interesting field. He enjoys working with experts in math, economics, and computer science. He likes helping to build tools that affect many people. However, his father once said that Vitalik tries to avoid being seen as the "leader" of the blockchain world. He wants the community to be strong on its own.

Vitalik once shared a funny story about why he wanted to create decentralized money. He said it was because a game he played, World of Warcraft, changed one of his favorite character's abilities. He felt upset that a central company (Blizzard) could make such a change. This made him realize the problems with centralized services.

Other Computer Projects

Vitalik has also helped with other open-source software projects. Open-source means the computer code is free for anyone to see and use. He worked on projects like DarkWallet and Bitcoin Python libraries. He also helped with a cryptocurrency marketplace called Egora.

Ethereum in Russia

Vitalik saw how important Ethereum could be for his home country, Russia. In 2017, he met with President Vladimir Putin at a big economic meeting. Putin said he supported the idea of connecting with Russian partners.

Working with Glen Weyl

Vitalik connected with an economist named Glen Weyl after seeing his ideas online. They wrote a paper together called A Flexible Design for Funding Public Goods. This paper suggested a way to fund public projects using a method called quadratic voting. This method has helped give over $20 million to open-source software projects.

Thoughts on Artificial Intelligence

Vitalik Buterin is also interested in artificial intelligence (AI). In 2021, he gave a large donation to the Future of Life Institute. This group works to reduce big risks from AI. Vitalik has worried that AI could become too powerful. He thinks it might even "end humanity for good."

In May 2023, Vitalik signed a statement about the risk of AI extinction. Other famous people like Bill Gates also signed it. The statement said that reducing the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority.

In November 2023, he wrote about "defensive accelerationism." This idea means making technologies and policies stronger to protect against things like cyber attacks, scams, and bioweapons. These risks could get worse with powerful AI. Vitalik also suggested a "soft pause" on computer hardware. He thinks this could slow down AI development and give humanity more time to prepare for very advanced AI.

Awards and Recognition

Vitalik Buterin has received many awards for his work:

• Thiel Fellowship, 2014
• World Technology Award in the IT Software category, 2014
• Fortune 40 under 40 list, 2016
• Forbes 30 under 30 list, 2018
• Fortune the ledger 40 under 40 list, 2018
• University of Basel Honorary doctorate, 2018
• Time 100, 2021

Philanthropy

Vitalik Buterin is also known for his generous donations to various causes.

• In 2017, he donated about $763,970 worth of Ether (Ethereum's currency) to the Machine Intelligence Research Institute.
• In 2018, he gave $2.4 million worth of Ether to the SENS Research Foundation. This foundation researches ways to extend human lifespan.
• In 2020, he donated another $50,000 to the SENS Research Foundation.
• In 2021, Vitalik donated $1.14 billion worth of Shiba Inu coin to India's Crypto Covid relief fund. These coins had been given to him. This large donation caused the coin's price to drop by 50%.
• Also in 2021, he donated $336 million worth of Dogelon Mars coins to the Methuselah Foundation. This foundation also focuses on extending human life. This donation caused the coin's value to drop by 70%.

Books

• Vitalik Buterin. Proof of Stake: The Making of Ethereum and the Philosophy of Blockchains. — Seven Stories Press, 2022.

See also

In Spanish: Vitálik Buterin para niños

• List of University of Waterloo people
• List of people in blockchain technology
• List of philanthropists