Buterin Offers Look-Back

If you’ve been in the Crypto-space for long, you’ll know that Vitalik Buterin, creator of Ethereum, has made a lot of noise. Over the last decade he has made a number of predictions and statements as to the purpose of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and cryptocurrencies as a whole, and has given his views on how these may be utilised in the future.

No matter your thoughts on Vitalik, whether you see his as some grand crypto deity, or whether you think the following around him has perhaps taken a cultish turn, he’s an incredibly smart guy, and is responsible for perhaps the most-used network in cryptocurrency. Just remember, the hundreds, probably thousands of other developers behind the Ethereum network also deserve some praise once in a while!

To start this new year off, Vitalik’s taken a look back at some of the statements and predictions he has made and offered insights into how they’ve held up over time, or if he was way off the mark.

  • Firstly, he starts with his prediction in 2013 that ‘stablecoins’ will prosper and have a major benefit in protecting the assets of the ‘downtrodden’ such as those living in poverty in areas such as Iran and Argentina. This one was a relatively easy goal to score.
  • Secondly, he stated back in 2013 also that Bitcoin is resisting government, not by any legal classification, but by simply being ‘technologically censorship-proof’. He states that his views today still somewhat align, but that the requirement for cryptocurrency to thrive includes both ‘technological robustness and public legitimacy’. Make of that what you will.

He goes on to highlight a number of other statements throughout his past and finds humour in his predictions that were way off the mark.

It’s a rollercoaster that highlights what was, what is, what could have been, and what still may be.

2021 definitely sucked for most of us, I’m sure. 2022 is a new year full of new possibilities. Grasp it with both hands.

Happy New Year, reader!

May your hodl’d coins moon this year!