May 13, 2021

Russian-Canadian Now 27-Year-Old Billionaire


Russian-Canadian Now 27-Year-Old Billionaire
The world's cutest crypto billionaire, Vitalik Buterin. Wikimedia Commons user Romanpoet

The founder of Ethereum, the second cryptocurrency after Bitcoin, just became the world's youngest crypto billionaire at twenty-seven. He is a Russian-born Canadian, sporting the cute name Vitalik Buterin and looking about as cute as Soviet cartoon hero Cheburashka.

Buterin does not pull in a huge salary as Ethereum founder; rather, he held onto 333,500 Ethers when he started the cryptocurrency, each of which is now worth $3,500. That is enough to put him just above the $1 billion mark as of early May 2021.

Born and raised to age six in Kolomna, Russia, Buterin attended the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, but he dropped out. He was encouraged to drop out by being awarded a Thiel Fellowship: "$100,000 to young people who want to build new things instead of sitting in a classroom." Nailed it.

The total value of what Vitalik built (all Ethers in circulation) is $403 billion as of early May.

Although Bitcoin is the more popular cryptocurrency, its founder is unknown, referred to as Satoshi Nakamoto. Thus, it is fair to say that Vitalik is the face of global cryptocurrency since Satoshi doesn't have a face.

For one of the world's most talented programmers, Buterin has a hilariously simple personal website, at https://vitalik.ca/.

You Might Also Like

Hacking into the Mainframe
  • May 11, 2021

Hacking into the Mainframe

Don your fingerless gloves, put on your dark sunglasses, and grab your trusty black Anonymous hoodie: a new study reveals Russians are just as sloppy with their internet security as the rest of us.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955