Who created Ethereum? Vitalik Buterin
A teenage programmer's idea that became the second-largest crypto network.
Ethereum was proposed by Vitalik Buterin, a Russian-Canadian programmer, in a white paper in late 2013, when he was 19. He launched it in July 2015 with a group of co-founders including Gavin Wood, Charles Hoskinson and Joseph Lubin.
Vitalik Buterin
Born in Russia in 1994, Buterin moved to Canada as a child. He became fascinated by Bitcoin as a teenager and in 2011 co-founded Bitcoin Magazine. He thought blockchains could do more than move money, and in late 2013 described a blockchain that could run any program: Ethereum. In 2014 he received a Thiel Fellowship and left university to build it.
Timeline
| Late 2013 | Buterin publishes the Ethereum white paper. |
| 2014 | A public crowdsale raises funds for development, paid in bitcoin. |
| July 30, 2015 | The Ethereum network launches. |
| 2016 | After "The DAO" hack, Ethereum splits; the original chain continues as Ethereum Classic. |
| September 2022 | "The Merge" moves Ethereum to proof of stake. |
The co-founders
Ethereum's founding group included Gavin Wood (who wrote much of its early technical specification and later founded Polkadot), Charles Hoskinson (later founder of Cardano), Joseph Lubin (founder of Consensys, the company behind MetaMask), Anthony Di Iorio, Mihai Alisie, Amir Chetrit and Jeffrey Wilcke.
His role today
Buterin doesn't control Ethereum. Changes are proposed publicly and adopted only if the people running the network agree. He remains its best-known researcher and writer, and is influential through his ideas rather than any formal power.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the founder of Ethereum?
Vitalik Buterin proposed it, and it was launched in 2015 by a group of co-founders he led.
Does Vitalik Buterin own Ethereum?
No. No one owns the network. He holds ETH and is very influential, but upgrades require broad agreement.
Where to next
Sources
Written for beginners and checked against the sources listed. Last reviewed October 26, 2026. This page is educational and is not financial, tax or legal advice. How we write and check pages.