Quick Answer:
Vitalik Buterin is a Russian-Canadian programmer and co-founder of Ethereum, the second largest cryptocurrency after Bitcoin. He has been involved in the blockchain and cryptocurrency industry for many years and is also a co-founder of companies like Aragon, Golem, and Status.
Buterin’s net worth is estimated to be around $150 million, although this figure could fluctuate due to the volatility of digital currencies. He attended Sir Robert Borden High School and later the University of Waterloo, where he studied computer science and became deeply involved in the cryptocurrency space.
He co-founded Ethereum in 2014, which launched in 2015 as a decentralized platform for smart contracts and decentralized applications. Buterin’s personal Ethereum holdings have been substantial, and at one point, he reportedly held 405,000 Ether. However, cryptocurrency prices are highly volatile, and his net worth has fluctuated accordingly.
Buterin has made significant contributions to the crypto community, including donations to various causes and projects. He is on the board of directors for Dogecoin and has expressed interest in the coin’s development. Despite his wealth, the exact figures of Buterin’s assets and financial status are not publicly disclosed, making it challenging to confirm whether he is a crypto billionaire.
Vitalik Buterin is a Russian-Canadian computer programmer and entrepreneur who is the co-founder and CEO of Ethereum, the 2nd largest Cryptocurrency (after bitcoin). He has also served as the chief architect at Ethereum since 2014. He is considered one of the founders of Ethereum, along with Joseph Lubin and Charles Hoskinson.
In addition to his role at Ethereum, he serves as the co-founder of several other companies, such as Aragon, Golem, and Status. With that said, how much is Vitalik Buterin net worth?
Apart from the Ethereum creator, he earns a salary of $100K per year from his company, Consensys. Vitalik’s net worth could be $150 million, but considering the volatility of the digital currency, it may be higher or lower than estimated.
Who is Vitalik Buterin?
Vitalik Buterin grew up in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He attended Sir Robert Borden High School, where his classmates included fellow Bitcoin creator Gavin Andresen.
While attending high school, Buterin worked part-time jobs such as pizza delivery and working at a video game store.
Buterin began programming at age 12 and became interested in cryptography while playing online games. At age 15, he wrote his first program, a text editor called BBEdit. He continued developing software throughout high school, including a chess AI named Deep Blue. In 2007, he cofounded Ethereum, a decentralized computing platform based on blockchain technology.
Early Life
Vitalik Buterin graduated from high school in 2007. After graduating, he enrolled at the University of Waterloo, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science. While there, he became involved in the cryptocurrency scene.
At age 17, he met Joseph Lubin, founder of Ethereum and ConsenSys. Lubin told Buterin about Bitcoin and how it could improve society.
Buterin spent most of his time studying mathematics and physics. His interest in cryptography led him to work for the Tor Project, an organization that develops privacy software. During his studies, he began working on a decentralized version of Twitter called StatusNet. This project caught the attention of Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of bitcoin.
In 2011, Buterin joined the team behind Ethereum, a blockchain-based digital currency. The project raised $12 million in funding during its initial coin offering and went live in July 2015.
The following year, Buterin published a paper titled “Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies,” which laid out the fundamentals of digital assets.
Ethereum Blockchain
In 2012, Buterin launched Bitcoin Magazine, a publication focused on covering cryptocurrency news. While writing for the magazine, he met Joseph Lubin, another early adopter of cryptocurrency. Together, they founded Consensys, a startup that aimed to build tools for developers to use in building decentralized applications.
After working on Consensys, Buterin joined Ethereum in 2013. His goal was to develop a system that could run smart contracts without relying on intermediaries such as banks. In 2014, he officially announced the launch of the Ethereum blockchain, a public blockchain network designed to support decentralized apps.
Buterin published a white paper where he proposed a vision for a decentralized and open-sourced blockchain platform called Ethereum. The white paper circulated widely among developers and entrepreneurs and drew considerable attention.
The platform was officially launched in July 2015, with Buterin credited as one of three founding members, along with Gavin Wood and Anthony DiIorio.
As a smart contract platform, Ethereum allows anyone to write code that runs exactly as programmed without the possibility of downtime, censorship, fraud, or third-party interference. This makes it possible to build anything from decentralized apps to digital currencies to autonomous organizations.
How many ETH does Vitalik Buterin own?
Being the creator of Ethereum, you might be wondering, how much Ether does Vitalik have? Vitalik bought his first batch of Ether in 2013, when it cost about $0.40 per coin. Today, Ethereum trades for about $8,500 per coin.
Buterin began mining Ether in July 2016, when it was selling for just $9.50. After buying out the rest of the supply, he held onto nearly 400,000 Ether. Over the course of 2017, he sold off some of his holdings, making a profit of about $270 million.
In January 2018, Buterin purchased another 300,000 Ether, bringing his total up to 405,000 Ether. On Feb. 4, 2018, Ether reached $1,400. In mid-February, Buterin’s Ether holdings climbed to $360 million, or roughly $300 million before taxes.
By early April, however, the price of Ether fell to $300, meaning Buterin lost about $90 million on his investment. He still owned about 360,000 Ether, though, which put him at about $267 million before taxes.
On May 3, 2018, Ether hit $2,200. By late June, the price of Ether had fallen to $700. Buterin sold off about half of his remaining Ether holdings, leaving him with about 275,000 Ether — or $225 million before taxes.
At this point, Buterin‘s Ether holdings are valued at about $150 million. And while the price of Ether is rising again, Buterin is planning to sell off his remaining Ether holdings.
Is Vitalik Buterin A Crypto Billionaire?
Vitalik Buterin is one of the most influential people in cryptocurrency today. His Twitter account boasts over 2 million followers. In fact, he’s even been called the “crypto messiah.” And even made the Fortune 40 under 40 list in 2016 and the Forbes’ 30 under 30 list in 2018. So, how rich is Vitalik Buterin exactly?
Buterin’s net worth is largely tied up in cryptocurrencies like Ether and XRP. And depending on where you look, his net worth ranges anywhere from $1.2 billion to $1.6 billion. If we take into consideration his ownership stake in mining companies like Hashflare, it could push him above the $1.5 billion mark.
Buterin‘s net worth fluctuates based on what happens with the price of cryptocurrencies.
For example, during the 2018 bear market, Buterin lost a significant amount of money because his investments dropped in value. On the flip side, when the market rebounds, Buterin makes a lot of money.
The problem is that there are no reliable sources of information about Buterin’s personal finances. There’s no public record of his income and expenses, nor is there anything publicly available about his assets and liabilities. This makes it difficult to determine whether or not he’s actually a billionaire.
Shiba Inu Tokens
In April, the anonymous creators of the coin known as SHIB, announced that it had been gifted half of all the coins in existence to Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum.
According to CoinMarketCap, there are roughly 505 billion SHIB tokens in circulation. Depending on when you’re looking, one SHIB token can value at around $0.0010.
On May 10, those 505 billion SHIB were worth $7 billion, giving Vitalik Buterin a net worth of $15.3 billion when combined with his other digital assets.
Buterin’s Donations
The founder of Ethereum has been quite generous with his crypto wealth. He has donated 5% of the total circulating supply to support the covid relief fund in India. Vitalik Buterin, the creator of Ethereum, has also donated $1 million of ETH to the Dogecoin foundation. He has done it because he believes that the cryptocurrency industry needs to unite against the current challenges.
Recently, he has also sent $1 million of Ether to the Dogecoin project.
In addition to that, Buterin is on Dogecoin’s board of directors. He tweeted that he hopes someday DOGE will switch to the PoW/PoS consensus mechanism that Ethereum is about to implement in August this year, and he wants to see DOGE become the main coin used in the ecosystem.
Frequently Asked Questions
How rich is Vitalik Buterin?
He is one of the richest people in the crypto space, with an estimated net worth of $1 billion.
A Few Words Before You Go…
Vitalik Buterin is one of the world’s richest people thanks to his work developing Ethereum — the second largest cryptocurrency by market cap. He holds around $1 billion worth of Ether, making him one of the wealthiest individuals in crypto.
Buterin isn’t just rich because he’s the creator of Ethereum; he’s also been able to amass massive wealth outside of blockchain technology. However, the majority of Buterins’ wealth is stored in Ether, though he owns shares in multiple companies, including the crypto exchange, Coinbase and Ripple.
Vitalik Buterin’s net worth is likely much larger than it appears here.
About The Author
James Page, previously the lead writer at Crypto Head and a registered psychologist, brings a unique perspective to the world of blockchain and cryptocurrency.
His extensive experience in the industry and ability to present complex concepts in an understandable manner make his articles a valuable resource for readers seeking to navigate the ever-evolving crypto landscape.
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