In a July 3, 2025 speech at EthCC (Ethereum Community Conference), Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin compared crypto’s early growth to the early internet’s controversial adoption patterns.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin said in a speech video published by Cointelegraph on July 3, 2025 that cryptocurrency originated from "crazy things," drawing a comparison to how the early internet expanded through controversial or unconventional use cases. His remarks at EthCC (Ethereum Community Conference) framed crypto’s early adoption as part of a broader pattern in which new technologies often first gain traction in areas outside the mainstream before maturing into wider practical use.