5 Most Influential People in Crypto
2020 was an exciting year in terms of mass cryptocurrency and blockchain adoption. Bitcoin is leaking into every industry, entering into any space and uniting technologists, investors, politicians, visionaries from all corners of the world. We prepared the list of the 5 most famous people from the crypto world and will speak about the influence they have on digital currencies.
- Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum
Vitalik Buterin is a Russian-Canadian programmer, co-founder of Ethereum and Bitcoin Magazine. Ethereum is a global blockchain network created to run smart contracts and decentralized applications (dAAPs). Moreover, today Ether is the second valued cryptocurrency behind Bitcoin.
When he was 7 years old, Vitalik created his first computer game using Excel macros, three years he started developing games. In 2014 he was the first to start the hype of ICOs (Initial Coin Offerings) when he launched Ethereum through the crowd sale.
Ethereum is an open-source code that is giving millions of crypto developers the opportunity to design and launch their own crypto projects, saving their time and resources.
In 2018 the Faculty of Business and Economics of the University of Basel awarded Vitalik Buterin an honorary doctorate.
- Changpeng Zhao, Binance
Changpeng Zhao, also known as CZ, is the founder and CEO of Binance, one of the world's leading and largest crypto exchanges. He was the CTO of OKCoin and a member of the Blockchain.info team. CZ is active on social media networks and is followed by thousands of crypto enthusiasts.
Zhao started his career in the IT department of the Tokyo Stock Exchange and then was Bloomberg where he used to develop services for the traders.
He became extremely popular after making Binance the world’s largest digital currency exchange in just half a year. CZ became a billionaire just 180 days after launching Binance and today he is one of the richest entrepreneurs with millions of followers around the globe.
- Brian Armstrong, Coinbase
Brian Armstrong is the co-founder and CEO of Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the USA, valued at over $1.6 billion. Armstrong obtained a double major in computer science and economics and started his career as a programmer. In 2012 he got VC funding and launched Coinbase in California.
However, Brian is known not only for managing Coinbase, but he is also a co-founder of the GiveCrypto foundation. GiveCrypto is a charity that has raised $4 million in virtual currency donations for people living in need.
In 2019 Brian was chosen as one of the teachers at Andreessen Horowitz’s seven-week crypto startup school program.
- Jihan Wu, Bitmain
Jihan Wu co-founded Bitmain in 2013, which is today the world's largest computer chip company for Bitcoin mining. He is one of the first Bitcoin adopters, who in 2011 has raised funds from friends and family to buy 900 BTC. Wu is also a Bitcoin Cash advocate and in 2017 he created a hard fork of Bitcoin.
Jihan is considered to be the first to translate the BTC Whitepaper into Mandarin. He started his career from being a financial analyst in a private equity company, building his path into the world of virtual assets where he became one of the most popular influencers and crypto billionaires.
In 2019 Jihan Wu founded Matrixport, a cryptocurrency services provider.
- Jack Dorsey, Twitter and Square
Jack Dorsey is the CEO of Twitter and Square, the mobile payments firm. Dorsey has been a Bitcoin believer for a long time, claiming in 2017 that Blockchain is the “next big unlock.” Before stepping into the technology and crypto industry, Dorsey was a certified masseur and worked in fashion design.
Last year Jack Dorsey announced that Twitter will develop an open standard for decentralized social network platforms.
Dorsey also recently launched a cryptocurrency department for his application called Cash App. The application helps new users buying Bitcoin easily. Besides, the Twitter CEO is now heading initiatives that are bringing Bitcoin mass adoption to Africa.
