History of Vitalik Buterin in Timeline

Vitalik Buterin is a Canadian computer programmer known for co-founding Ethereum. He became involved with cryptocurrency in its early stages, co-founding Bitcoin Magazine in 2011. In 2015, he, along with other co-founders, launched the Ethereum blockchain.

January 1994: Birth of Vitalik Buterin

Vitalik Buterin was born in January 1994 in Kolomna, Russia.

January 1994: Early Life and Family Background

Vitalik Buterin was born on January 31, 1994, in Kolomna, Russia. His family moved to Canada when he was six.

2007: World of Warcraft Experience and Centralization Concerns

Vitalik Buterin played World of Warcraft from 2007 to 2010. An incident where the game developers modified a game mechanic led him to realize the potential downsides of centralized services.

2010: Quitting World of Warcraft

Vitalik Buterin decided to quit World of Warcraft in 2010 after an incident involving changes to the game by the developers.

September 2011: Writing for Bitcoin Publications

Vitalik Buterin began writing for Bitcoin Weekly in 2011 and later became a co-founder and leading writer for Bitcoin Magazine in September 2011.

2011: Early Involvement in Cryptocurrency

Vitalik Buterin became involved with cryptocurrency and co-founded Bitcoin Magazine in 2011.

2012: Bitcoin Magazine and Ripple

Bitcoin Magazine, with Vitalik Buterin as a co-founder, started publishing a print edition in 2012. Buterin's attempt to work for Ripple was unsuccessful due to visa issues.

2012: Academic Achievements and Research

In 2012, Vitalik Buterin won a bronze medal at the International Olympiad in Informatics. He also pursued studies at the University of Waterloo, where he worked as a research assistant for cryptographer Ian Goldberg.

November 2013: Ethereum White Paper Publication

Vitalik Buterin published the Ethereum white paper in November 2013, proposing a new platform with a scripting language for application development.

2013: Exploration and Inspiration

Vitalik Buterin traveled to meet with developers who shared his passion for code in 2013. He returned to Toronto and published a white paper proposing Ethereum.

2014: Ethereum Development and Thiel Fellowship

Vitalik Buterin received a Thiel Fellowship in 2014 and dropped out of university to focus on Ethereum full-time.

2015: Ethereum Blockchain Deployment

In 2015, Vitalik Buterin, along with Gavin Wood, Charles Hoskinson, Anthony Di Iorio, and Joseph Lubin, deployed the Ethereum blockchain.

2016: Editorial Board of Ledger

Vitalik Buterin joined the editorial board of Ledger, a scholarly journal focused on cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, in 2016.

June 2017: Meeting with Vladimir Putin

Vitalik Buterin met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in June 2017 at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

November 2018: Honorary Doctorate

Vitalik Buterin received an honorary doctorate from the University of Basel's Faculty of Business and Economics in November 2018.

2018: Desire for Research Focus

In 2018, Buterin's father suggested that Vitalik preferred to concentrate on research and was not thrilled with the excessive importance placed on him by the community.

2019: Collaboration with Glen Weyl and Publication

Vitalik Buterin collaborated with economist Glen Weyl, leading to the publication of a paper in 2019 that proposed a method for funding public goods using quadratic voting.

2020: Gratitude for Ethereum and Interdisciplinary Work

In 2020, Buterin expressed gratitude for the opportunity to work in the interdisciplinary field of Ethereum, collaborating with experts from various domains.

August 2022: Quadratic Funding Impact

By August 2022, quadratic funding, a method Buterin helped develop, had allocated over $20 million to open-source software projects.

2022: Support for Ukraine and Criticism of Russian Invasion

Vitalik Buterin expressed his support for Ukraine during the Russian invasion in 2022, condemning the attack and engaging in a public disagreement with a Russian media figure.