# Vitalik Buterin

Vitalik Buterin (born in 1994) is a Russian-Canadian blockchain developer, often credited as the mastermind behind the Ethereum project. Actually, Buterin is the co-founder of Ethereum who started out as a programming whizz-kid from Toronto with a huge interest in everything Bitcoin and crypto. Soon, Buterin became the co-owner of Bitcoin Magazine website. His pet dream was creation of a blockchain-powered platform whose usability would go beyond go beyond the financial utility of Bitcoin he felt his colleagues were obsessed with. The platform itself was named by him after a discarded physical concept of ether as “a medium that permeates the universe and allows light to travel”. In 2013, Buterin published the white paper on Ethereum which was envisioned as a versatile platform allowing for easier building and deployment of applications. Following the successful ether token sale in July and August 2014, the system went live in July 2015. Despite recent rumors to the contrary, Vitalik pledged to stay with the Ethereum project, promising to keep a watchful eye over his creation at least for the time being.