Ethereum Creator: Vitalik Buterin Warns Not to Easily Believe in "Pro-crypto" Politics

Bittime - On Wednesday (17/7), Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, published a blog post warning potential voters against supporting political candidates just because they claim to be pro-crypto.

Reactions from Crypto Industry Figures

The post sparked mixed reactions from crypto industry figures, especially from conservative voices like Messari CEO Ryan Selkis, who is a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump.

“Vitalik is an idealist, not a realist. He is one of the most politically naive people I have ever read about and/or interacted with in the crypto space,” Selkis told Decrypt. “Moreover, he is Canadian, and he covertly gave permission to elect the most demonstrably authoritarian and anti-technology president in American history because he was intellectually overconfident but politically weak.”

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Important Points from Buterin's Writings

In his blog post entitled "Against choosing your political allegiances based on who is 'pro-crypto,'" Buterin emphasized that supporting crypto is not limited to regulatory treatment of cryptocurrencies or blockchain technology. He argues that a politician's stance on issues such as privacy, internationalism, and even immigration is part of the big “cypherpunk” picture. A candidate who claims to be pro-crypto just to get more votes does not represent meaningful support for those values.

Perspectives from Others in the Crypto Industry

Although the possible return of former crypto skeptic Donald Trump to the White House has raised hopes of a new crypto-friendly era in Washington, it remains unclear how the Republican party would handle crypto issues if in control of the government, experts say.

In a response on Twitter, Jake Chervinsky, chief legal officer at venture capital firm Variant Fund, said Buterin's piece had “solid points,” but some readers may draw conclusions that Buterin did not explicitly state. “Too many people will read the headline as ‘Vote Biden!’ and skip the rest,” Chervinsky wrote.

Advice from Peter Van Valkenburgh

Peter Van Valkenburgh, director of research at Coin Center, recommended an alternative title for Buterin's piece. “Don't sacrifice your cypherpunk ethos for certain 'pro-crypto' politicians or policy proposals,” he advised on Twitter. “Politicians will come and go. Privacy, freedom of speech and the rule of law must be maintained.”

Nic Carter's Position On Crypto and Politics

Nic Carter, partner at Castle Island Ventures, wrote that crypto is already aligned with his “libertarian/conservative values,” and it makes sense for Republicans to support it. He also argued that Trump has surrounded himself with politicians who are “absolutely pro-crypto,” such as his pick for vice president, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

Selkis and His Political Choices

Selkis has described the upcoming choice between President Joe Biden and Trump in November as an existential moment for crypto. On Wednesday, he wrote that his “political allegiances are based on who is mentally competent to be commander in chief.”

Selkis also noted that Vitalik's political comments were irrelevant to him, and should not be relevant to those whose primary focus is American politics. “He is Canadian and Russian. "I humbly suggest that he fix those governments first, and stay out of American politics," Selkis added.

Transforming Trump's Views on Crypto

Former president Trump has changed his views on crypto since declaring Bitcoin “looks like a scam” in 2021. Now accepting crypto donations while defending the industry, Trump is scheduled to be a keynote speaker at a Bitcoin conference next week in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Importance of Decentralization According to Buterin

Without naming specific politicians, Buterin wrote that a politician's views on crypto years ago are a relevant gauge for future expectations. How a politician acts when supporting freedom and supporting corporations conflict with each other also matters a lot, he wrote.

Emphasizing the importance of decentralization among crypto pioneers such as Satoshi Nakamoto, Buterin cited statements from Bitcoin's pseudonymous creator. He described Nakamoto's response to someone who doubted cryptography's ability to solve political problems as a rare statement on the subject, and as an early lesson that informed crypto's core values.

Linda Xie comments

Linda Xie, co-founder of Bountycaster, a bounty service for decentralized social media network Farcaster, wrote on Twitter, “I am not a one-issue voter in crypto and will not support someone just because they are pro-crypto.”

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Challenge from Selkis

After Buterin's blog post, Selkis bet that Buterin would not want to debate him because it would reveal “how little he understands politics outside of textbooks.” However, Selkis pondered whether Buterin could one day present himself as an “equal opponent.”

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