https://blog.bitforx.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/39332479_1835790199868445_1168239831885545472_n.jpgFantastic 4 of BlockchainSome people say that we are unlucky to be born in this time. It seems like the middle of the development process. It’s too late to discover new places and territories and It’s too early to explore the Cosmos. I think it’s the perfect time to explore the new possibilities given to us by great minds in the Blockchain and Crypto sphere.
We are living in the time when everything undergoes through some changes. We are about to change our financial systems, our voting systems, supply chain management, KYC storage principles and lots of different spheres where new technological solutions can be successfully implemented. We are truly stepping into a new era and we can safely say that we are not in the middle of something. We are lucky to be born today because we get to see the beginnings of Blockchain and Cryptocurrency.
These changes wouldn’t be possible if not for
The Brightest minds of Blockchain field. The first introduction of such technology was in 2009. Satoshi Nakamoto introduced the first Cryptocurrency – Bitcoin. There have been reports stating that attempts of creating such a currency were spotted in the Netherlands and few other countries, before the introduction to Bitcoin. Unfortunately, all of those attempts failed. Fortunately, the trail of bad events was at the end.
Since then, Crypto and Blockchain field has been developing. New bright minds have joined the game and as the result, Today, we have
2090 Cryptocurrencies. It’s amazing, how fast the number of Cryptocurrencies is growing. According to investing.com, we had 1658 cryptocurrencies on March 16, 2018. Today (August 9, 2018) this number has grown to 2090.
All of these currencies have the project behind their backs. Every single one of them serves a purpose. You will be able to find so many interesting Blockchain projects behind all these Cryptocurrencies. You will also be able to find great minds, blockchain geniuses and crypto experts. That’s actually what we are going to talk about in this article.
There are regular names and there are names recognized all over the crypto field. I want to talk about the Four most recognized names in Blockchain and Crypto sphere. People who influenced today’s technologies and changed the way we see our future. People who truly are a Fantastic 4 of Blockchain.
Vitalik Buterin24-year-old Blockchain master who introduced to us
Ethereum. Ethereum, as we all know, is the second largest and most valuable cryptocurrency.
Vitalik is a Russian born co-founder of Ethereum. His entire family migrated to Canada when he was just a little child and now he lives in Singapore. Vitalik’s interest in Blockchain and Cryptocurrency started with his father introducing him to Bitcoin. Vitalik, now a famous Chief Scientist of the Ethereum Foundation, was once a writer for Bitcoin Magazine. That’s how it all started with him.
For two years, Vitalik has been studying Bitcoin’s Blockchain and the possibilities it held. As a result of such tireless work, the White Paper of Ethereum was published in late 2013.
Vitalik’s actions influenced and changed a newborn technology called Blockchain. People used to correlate and directly link Bitcoin to Blockchain. Till this day, some people think that Blockchain and Bitcoin are the same things. For a long time, Blockchain was perceived as a digital ledger, writing down all the Bitcoin transactions. However, through two years of research and studies of Blockchain technologies and the applications they had to offer, Vitalik changed the way Blockchain was discerned.
In
Forbes’ 30 under 30 2018 Finance section, you can see Vitalik, among all the other young Financial influencers. He has made into a lot of lists and this list, not an exception.
Charlie LeeCharlie Lee, another early adopter of Bitcoin and a Cryptocurrency creator. Charlie created one of the most famous Currency-
Litecoin.
His interest in Cryptocurrency emerged from Bitcoin mining. At the time he decided to work on his own Currency, he was working as a software engineer at Google. Since 2011 he has been working on creating Litecoin and after years of failure, he practically abandoned the project. Until the year 2016. He finally realized the purpose of his desired project. He understood what his currency would serve as and the project was finalized. Lee simply copied the code of Bitcoin with some slight modifications and corrections for the merchants.
Lee understood that Litecoin would be the best suit for smaller transactions. He could see his currency being used as a payment in online shops. In his point of view, Bitcoin was for more bigger transactions and Litecoin could be used in everyday situations.
Litecoin has been following Bitcoin side-by-side. Today, it’s one of the most recognized cryptocurrencies in the world. But not only Lee’s project gained publicity. Charlie himself became very popular, and what’s more, he appeared in numerous articles and shows as
The Most Influential in Blockchain 2017. Lee truly inspired others to create something similar and grow Crypto field.
Brian ArmstrongFormer Airbnb Software Engineer is now widely known influencer in Crypto world. Armstrong is a Co-founder & CEO of
Coinbase. In 2011-2012, Armstrong had a front row seat into global payment systems, as Airbnb was moving capital in more than 190 countries.
Besides his engagement in Airbnb project, he was oriented to new technologies known as Blockchain and Bitcoin. In June 2012, Armstrong launched a Coinbase website and since then, he has been introducing the world to news, innovations and other information in Crypto sphere.
Coinbase was portrayed as a platform that would simplify the process of buying, transferring and spending Bitcoin. In other words, make it accessible to the Global Public. Since 2012, Armstrong has been managing a company with approximately 200 employees. He is still introducing people to new possibilities of Cryptocurrency and Blockchain technologies. He has the different view of future financial system, which he loves to talk about on his
Blog on Medium.
Years ago Armstrong was a Software Engineer at Airbnb and a former developer for IBM and Consultant at Deloitte. Nowadays, he is a person, whose words can influence people to buy, sell or hold on to a Cryptocurrency. He has made into
Fortune’s 40 under 40, taking the 20th place.
Charles HoskinsonAnother Altcoin Co-founder, Charles Hoskinson has joined our list. Charles is the Co-founder of a
Cardano platform, which hosts ADA coin. He was a Co-founder of Ethereum back in 2013.
Cardano is currently
ranked as number 8, according to Coinmarketcap. Cardano project is the youngest one of the above-listed Cryptocurrencies, its’ official launch date is September 2017. By advanced features and functionality, It’s named as a third Generation Blockchain. It was believed that Cardano would displace Ethereum platform, because of its’ superior possibilities over ETH blockchain. Till this day, Cardano is being improved and it’s one of the most recognized cryptocurrencies all over the world. They are still in the development process and are planning to finish the platform in 2019.
2013 was a crucial year for Hoskinson. He actually quit his job as a consultant to open an online school called the Bitcoin Education Project. That’s when he met co-founder of Ethereum, Vitalik Buterin and they started working on creating the second largest Cryptocurrency together. Because of certain events,
Hoskinson left Ethereum in June 2014.
Nowadays, Hoskinson is mostly known for being a Co-founder of Cardano platform and a Crypto veteran who anticipated in two of the most successful Blockchain projects. As a computational science expert, he is deeply aware of the main challenges, the architecture of different protocols and always gives a brilliant, comprehensive speech. His ideas are always interesting and worth to think about. Cardano has one of the best academic research centers located in the several continents.
Honorable MentionsThis article wouldn’t be able to contain all the bright minds that thrive in Crypto and Blockchain sphere. That’s why we decided to mention the four most recognizable and influential people in this field.
Of course, there are names worth mentioning, and that’s what we are going to do now.
Talking about Bitcoin and Blockchain would be unimaginable without mentioning
Andreas M. Antonopoulos, Bitcoin Evangelist & Author of ‘
Mastering Bitcoin‘. I bet you have at least listened to his speech on youtube, or heard his name while discussing Bitcoin. He has gained a great success over the years. Charming and interesting person he is, Antonopoulos is a widely published author of books. His famous ‘Mastering Bitcoin’ is one of the bestsellers. He is known for his articles, and blog posts on cryptocurrencies. Nowadays, he travels all around the world, speaks at conferences, advises and consults a small number of cryptocurrency companies.
I also want to mention someone who is not considered to be one of the most popular people in Crypto field, but his influence is truly great in amount and size and I think he’s worth mentioning. We’re talking about
John McAfee. British-American computer programmer and businessman announced his candidacy of 2020 US Presidential Elections this year. He promises to be a mentor of Crypto and Blockchain technologies in the US.
This is just a short list of influential people in the Blockchain world.
Source:
https://blog.bitforx.com/2018/08/16/fantastic-4-of-blockchain/