Vitaly Dmitriyevich "Vitalik" Buterin (born January 31, 1994) is a Russian-Canadian computer programmer, writer, and primary co-founder of Ethereum, one of the world's most significant blockchain platforms. Recognized as a key figure in the cryptocurrency and decentralized technology sectors, Buterin has played a central role in evolving blockchain from a simple financial ledger into a programmable global infrastructure. Born in Kolomna, Russia, Buterin moved to Canada with his parents at the age of six. Showing early aptitude for mathematics, programming, and economics, he was placed in a program for gifted children during elementary school. He later attended The Abelard School, a private high school in Toronto, where he further cultivated his academic interests. After graduating high school, he enrolled at the University of Waterloo. During his tenure there, he worked as a research assistant for cryptographer Ian Goldberg, a key figure in the Tor Project. However, his academic trajectory shifted when, in 2014, he was awarded a $100,000 grant from the Thiel Fellowship—a program created by venture capitalist Peter Thiel to support young innovators—which led him to drop out of university to pursue blockchain development full-time. Buterin’s interest in cryptocurrency began in 2011 when he was introduced to Bitcoin by his father. Fascinated by the decentralized potential of the technology, he co-founded *Bitcoin Magazine* in 2011, serving as a writer and contributor to the nascent crypto-journalism space. Through this experience, he developed a deep understanding of blockchain limitations, specifically the inability of the Bitcoin network to facilitate complex, non-financial applications. In late 2013, Buterin published a white paper describing Ethereum, a blockchain platform featuring a built-in, Turing-complete programming language. His vision was to move beyond the limitations of Bitcoin, enabling developers to build decentralized applications (dApps) and smart contracts—self-executing agreements with terms written directly into code. Following the publication of the white paper, he gathered a team of co-founders, including Gavin Wood, Joseph Lubin, Anthony Di Iorio, Charles Hoskinson, and Mihai Alisie, to bring the project to life. The Ethereum network officially launched on July 30, 2015, with the "Frontier" release. Since the platform's inception, Buterin has remained a principal visionary for its development, guiding it through significant technical milestones, most notably "The Merge" in 2022, which transitioned Ethereum from a proof-of-work consensus mechanism to a more energy-efficient proof-of-stake model. Beyond his technical contributions, Buterin is widely recognized for his philanthropic efforts. He has made several high-profile donations using cryptocurrency, most notably a $1 billion donation in 2021 to India’s Crypto COVID-19 Relief Fund. His philanthropic portfolio focuses on areas such as pandemic research, longevity biotechnology, and the mitigation of existential risks associated with artificial intelligence. Through his writing and public speaking, Buterin continues to advocate for decentralized governance and the long-term, ethical development of internet infrastructure. In 2018, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Basel in recognition of his contributions to the digital revolution.