# Ethereum: Past, Present, Future | Vitalik Buterin *Author: Ryan Sean Adams* *Published: Jul 13, 2020* *Source: https://www.bankless.com/ethereum-past-present-future-vitalik* --- *Level up your open finance game five times a week. Subscribe to [the Bankless program](https://bankless.ghost.io/about) below.* [Subscribe now](#/portal/signup) --- #### **🎙️ NEW PODCAST EPISODE** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e4/b7/e4b77544-5a37-4f0b-8824-8440aa348476/content/images/public/images/9edb9f6b-38cc-4371-9d5e-bbacdbf24b3d_944x452.png)[Listen to episode 21](http://podcast.banklesshq.com/ethereum-past-present-future-vitalik-buterin) | [iTunes](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bankless/id1499409058?ls=1) | [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/41TNnXSv5ExcQSzEGLlGhy) | [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrqDSYutiMA) | [RSS Feed](http://podcast.banklesshq.com/rss) --- #### **Tools from our sponsors to go bankless:** 📈 [Rocket Dollar](https://bankless.cc/rocketdollar) - tax shelter your crypto ($50 w/ "[BANKLESS](https://bankless.cc/rocketdollar)") 💸 [Ramp](https://bankless.cc/ramp) - the fiat onramp for DeFi (*mention Bankless!*) 💳 [Monolith](https://bankless.cc/monolith) - the holy grail of bankless Visa cards 🌈 [Aave](https://bankless.cc/aave) - money legos for lending & borrowing --- ## Ethereum history **Episode: #21 - Ethereum: Past, Present, Future | Vitalik Buterin** **July 13, 2020** Ethereum turns 5 on July 30th! That's 5 years of history. Five years of progress. Time enough to change the world? We sit down with Vitalik Buterin and walk through Ethereum's past, present, and future. Has the vision changed? Has ETH earned its price? What about monetary policy? How's Vitalik feeling about the future? And of Ethereum history in general? And of course: Is ETH a triple-point asset? It seems clear that Vitalik believes Ethereum’s community is its strongest asset. This band of Athenians isn't just here to vanquish foes, it's here to build a digital civilization for the world. Not burn it down, but to build it up instead. Vitalik believes crypto is standing strong as one of the few remaining things that are genuinely international. And as we witness the balkanization of the digital world, the open door to cooperation that Ethereum provides is exactly what humanity needs in order to thrive in the 21st century. **Happy 5th Birthday Ethereum! 🎂  🥳** The world needs you now more than ever. Here’s what we cover: - How Vitalik's feeling about Ethereum - **PAST**: Times when Vitalik was far less optimistic - Has Ethereum matched the original vision? - Identity in an independent digital civilization - **PRESENT**: Does Vitalik like or hate DeFi? - Vitalik's biggest concern for DeFi - Thoughts on liquidity mining - The goods & bads of speculation - Have we earned the price? - **FUTURE**: 3 problems we face now - Spartans vs Athenians - who wins? - Is Ethereum a nation, a religion, a technology? - How Etheruem is like Briton  - **ETH THE ASSET** Is ETH a triple point asset? - Solidifying ETH's monetary policy - **LIGHTNING ROLLUP ROUND** Gas fees are too high? - ETH flippening BTC? - Low hanging fruit? - His favorite ETH killer? - And more... Join us next Monday for a fresh episode! --- #### **Resources discussed:** - [The Ethereum whitepaper](https://ethereum.org/en/whitepaper/) - [Roadmap for Ethereum](https://twitter.com/VitalikButerin/status/1240365047421054976) - [Ethereum's monetary policy](https://docs.ethhub.io/ethereum-basics/monetary-policy/) (*it's [underrated](https://bankless.ghost.io/eths-monetary-policy-is-underrated)*!) --- #### **Episode Actions** - [Review Ethereum timeline](https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapping-major-ethereum-forks/) (up to 2019) - Listen to our fave episodes on Ethereum [3 - Economic Bandwidth](http://podcast.banklesshq.com/economic-bandwidth) - [4 - Ether: The Triple Point Asset](http://podcast.banklesshq.com/4-ether-the-triple-point-asset) - [7 - Ether’s Value Mechanisms](http://podcast.banklesshq.com/7-ethers-value-mechanisms) - [20 - The Ethereum Opportunity | Chris Burniske](http://podcast.banklesshq.com/20-infinite-whitespace-chris-burniske) - **Give us a 5-star review on Apple iTunes!** Also...subscribe to [Bankless YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/c/bankless) to watch [State of the Nation](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmkdAgtxf3ahHup7h1dxjs0SNwCSGdjVb) every Tuesday. 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