Vitalik Buterin talks about the problems of cryptocurrencies and after being trolled, Tom Brady declares himself his fan The founder of Ethereum confessed his concerns about the misuse of cryptocurrencies in the world and how they could impact his platform.

This article was translated from our Spanish edition.

Bloomberg | Getty Images

His name is Vitalik Buterin and after dedicating the cover of its most recent edition to him, TIME has named him the King of Cryptocurrencies .

The 28-year-old Russian is one of the founders of Ethereum , an open source platform that allows users to create applications and that hosts digital money and global payments. The digital currency with which Ethereum works is Ether, which has become the second most used cryptocurrency in the world (only behind Bitcoin). And although digital currencies are experiencing a great moment and their use is beginning to be democratized, Buterin confesses to being concerned about the image problem of the industry that he helped create. In the interview, the young man talks about a "dystopian potential" if digital assets are not used correctly. Buterin explains that just as technology has motivated creation and entrepreneurship, it has also been used as a vehicle for tax evasion, money laundering, and scams.

According to the interview, Vitalik Buterin's vision of the platform goes far beyond cryptocurrency, and NFTs bought and sold in millions of dollars : for him, Ethereum is a platform for experimentation and development that can serve as a counterweight to authoritarian government policies.

THE DAY VITALIK DECLARED NOT KNOWING WHO TOM BRADY WAS

After the broadcast of the interview, Vitalik Buterin's appearance became a trend and was compared negatively with the famous quarterback, Tom Brady , but come to less. The young man posted a compilation of the tweets that had seemed funniest to his account and then confessed: "I didn't even know who Tom Brady was, I had to ask the people around me. My best guess was that he was the actor from Mission: Impossible."

Shortly after, it was Tom Brady himself who came to Buterin's defense with a tweet declaring himself a fan: "How about Vitalik! You may not know me, but I just wanted to tell you that I am a huge fan of yours. Thank you for everything you have built in the world of cryptocurrencies, without that @Autograf it would not have been possible. I hope to meet you one day."

In addition to having won seven Super Bowls and being considered one of the best football players in history, Tom Brady is the founder of Autograph , a marketplace for NFT's based on sports themes.

His tweet praising Vitalik has more than 83 thousand likes.

Eduardo Scheffler Zawadzki

Entrepreneur Staff

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

'Over $100,000 a Month': His Spicy Side Hustle Became a Full-Time Business and Hit 7-Figure Revenue — Here's How He Did It

Brock Giles, 36, started a business inspired by his childhood filled with "food, cooking and entertaining."

Starting a Business

The Unspoken Truths of Startup Failures — 10 Cautionary Tales That Will Make You Rethink What Success Truly Means

Behind every failed startup lies a story of overlooked pitfalls, unforeseen challenges and hard-earned lessons. Discover the realities entrepreneurs rarely talk about — and how they can pave the way for future success.

Business Process

Boost Your Profits and Customer Loyalty With These 6 Business Strategies

Looking to keep your customers loyal? Here are the essential moments to focus on for retaining and expanding your customer base.

Business News

'There Are Repercussions': Meta Reminds Staff of Its Strict No-Leaks Policy — That Has Since Been Leaked to the Press

The memo followed Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's widely circulated all-hands meeting.