From a genius boy to the spiritual leader of Ethereum: The story of Vitalik

The Awakening of a Young Genius

Vitalik Buterin, born in 1994 in Kolomna, Russia, moved to Canada with his family at the age of 6. He showed extraordinary talent in mathematics and programming from a young age and was admitted to a program for gifted children. He later studied computer science at the University of Waterloo under the renowned cryptographer Yoan Goldberg, and this experience laid the theoretical foundation for his future research in blockchain.

However, what truly influenced Vitalik's life trajectory was an experience he had in World of Warcraft. When the game developers unilaterally removed a feature he loved, the feeling of powerlessness under a centralized system deeply touched him. This moment ignited his obsession with decentralization—a core driving force that would later define his entire career.

Encounter with Bitcoin

In 2011, Vitalik first encountered Bitcoin. Although initially skeptical, he was quickly drawn to Bitcoin's peer-to-peer, decentralized architecture. To gain a deeper understanding of the technology, the young Vitalik began writing articles about Bitcoin and co-founded Bitcoin Magazine with like-minded partners—one of the most important crypto media outlets of that era.

During this process, Vitalik gradually recognized the limitations of Bitcoin. The scripting language of Bitcoin is too simplified and can only handle basic transaction logic. He began to contemplate a bolder question: could a more general blockchain be built that would allow developers to write programs of any complexity?

The Birth of Ethereum

In 2013, at the age of just 19, Vitalik released the technical white paper for Ethereum, proposing an ambitious vision – to turn the blockchain into a global distributed computer. Unlike Bitcoin, which is merely a peer-to-peer payment system, Ethereum is equipped with a Turing-complete programming language, allowing developers to write smart contracts of any complexity and deploy fully autonomous decentralized applications.

In July 2015, the Ethereum network was officially launched. Prior to that, a crowdfunding campaign raised approximately $18 million (in ETH). In addition to Vitalik, co-founders Gavin Wood, Joseph Lubin, and Charles Hoskinson also made key contributions to the early protocol infrastructure. The subsequently established Ethereum Foundation (located in Switzerland) is responsible for coordinating open-source development and funding support.

Ecological Explosion and Vision Expansion

After the launch of Ethereum, a large number of developers flocked in, quickly giving rise to new tracks such as DeFi (Decentralized Finance), NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens), and DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations). Vitalik's initial vision for more complex blockchain applications transformed into a thriving ecosystem. His foresight allowed the value of blockchain to transcend simple digital currencies, ushering in a new era full of possibilities.

Choices in a Moment of Crisis

The DAO incident in 2016 was the first major test in the history of Ethereum. This decentralized venture capital fund built on Ethereum raised over $150 million in crowdfunding, but hackers exploited vulnerabilities in the smart contract to steal approximately 3.6 million ETH (worth about $50 million at the time).

Vitalik proposed several solutions. The Ethereum Foundation ultimately decided to implement a hard fork to roll back the transactions in order to restore the stolen funds. This decision sparked intense debate within the community:

• Ethereum (ETH): The main chain has executed a rollback.
• Ethereum Classic (ETC): The original chain that rejects forks, adhering to the principle of “code is law”.

This split profoundly reflects a fundamental question: in decentralized networks, which is more important, the rules of code or human judgment? Vitalik later acknowledged that this crisis indicates that both technology and governance are equally important.

Energy Revolution: Merge Upgrade

Vitalik has long been concerned about the sustainability issues of Ethereum. Since the early days of its founding, he has included the transition from Proof of Work (PoW) to Proof of Stake (PoS) in the technical planning. Over the years, he has actively promoted this shift, writing technical specifications, participating in community discussions, and explaining the implications of this transition for network security and scalability.

On September 15, 2022, the “Merge” upgrade was officially completed, and Ethereum switched to the PoS consensus mechanism. This milestone event reduced network energy consumption by over 99%, fundamentally changing Ethereum's energy footprint. Vitalik's vision and drive were indispensable in this process.

Evolution of Characters

As we enter 2025, Vitalik Buterin's role has undergone a significant transition. The Ethereum Foundation announced that he will gradually step back from daily management and emergency response work, focusing instead on long-term research and innovation exploration. This is both a respect for his personal career planning and a reflection of the understanding that a mature ecosystem should not overly rely on a single individual.

He will still participate in the project direction by reviewing Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) and publishing research findings, but he will no longer be at the center of daily decision-making. This shift gives other project leaders the opportunity to showcase their abilities, while also allowing Vitalik to return to his original passion—research and innovation.

In addition to his technical work, Vitalik is also known for his sharp analytical articles and public speeches. His thoughts on blogs and social media often spark in-depth discussions across the industry. At the same time, he is active in charity, having donated millions of dollars over the years to various initiatives such as pandemic relief, aging research, and open-source software development.

Focus and Controversy

As a public figure like Vitalik, every decision he makes is under the spotlight. One of the biggest questions within the community is: despite Ethereum's claim of being decentralized, is it too dependent on Vitalik? Although he has no formal power in the protocol, his opinions can influence every aspect from architectural decisions to community sentiment.

Vitalik himself is well aware of this and has taken proactive measures to downplay his personal influence, creating space for other leaders.

Some of the experimental ideas he proposed—such as soulbound tokens (SBT) or public goods financing mechanisms—have also sparked divergent reactions. Critics worry that Ethereum may deviate from its original mission by trying to cover too many areas, while supporters appreciate his forward-thinking.

It is worth mentioning that Vitalik addresses criticism with honesty and openness. He rarely shies away from complex issues, but rather views challenges as opportunities for self-improvement and driving the development of the ecosystem.

Historical Heritage and Future

Vitalik Buterin's impact on Ethereum and the entire blockchain industry is profound and fundamental. From technological innovations to philosophical considerations, from crisis response to institutional design, his footprints span every dimension of modern decentralized systems. He has transformed blockchain from a payment tool into a universal computing platform, ushering in a new era of digital infrastructure.

Today, although he is gradually stepping back from daily affairs, his thoughts and vision will continue to guide the future direction of Ethereum and the broader blockchain ecosystem.