Who is Vitalik Buterin?
Vitalik Buterin is a Russian-Canadian programmer and writer best known for his work as a co-founder of Ethereum, a decentralized, open-source blockchain platform that allows developers to create and deploy smart contracts and decentralized applications (DApps). Born on January 31, 1994, in Kolomna, Russia, Buterin later moved to Canada with his family. He showed an early interest in mathematics and computer programming.

Buterin became involved in the cryptocurrency space in 2011 when he co-founded Bitcoin Magazine, a publication dedicated to covering news, analysis, and thought leadership related to Bitcoin and the broader cryptocurrency ecosystem. In 2013, he published the Ethereum whitepaper, which outlined his vision for a blockchain platform that would support a wider range of applications beyond just digital currencies. The Ethereum network officially launched in 2015, after a successful crowdfunding campaign.

Vitalik Buterin has been recognized for his contributions to the blockchain and cryptocurrency space, including being awarded a Thiel Fellowship in 2014 and being named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 list in 2018. He continues to be an influential figure in the development and growth of Ethereum and the blockchain community.
What is Ethereum?
Ethereum is a decentralized, open-source blockchain platform that was created in 2015 by Vitalik Buterin. Like Bitcoin, Ethereum enables peer-to-peer transactions without the need for intermediaries such as banks. However, Ethereum is designed to be more flexible and programmable, allowing developers to build decentralized applications (dApps) on top of the Ethereum blockchain.

One of the key features of Ethereum is its ability to support smart contracts, which are self-executing contracts that can be programmed to automatically trigger actions based on certain conditions. Smart contracts have a wide range of potential applications, from digital identity verification to supply chain management to decentralized finance (DeFi).

Ethereum's native cryptocurrency is called Ether (ETH), which is used to pay for transactions and to incentivize network participants to maintain the network. Ethereum is currently undergoing a major upgrade known as Ethereum 2.0, which aims to improve the network's scalability, security, and energy efficiency.