Ethereum News Today: Visa Denial Redirects Buterin to Create Ethereum in 2013

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong recently revealed an unexpected twist in the origin story of Ethereum, noting how a U.S. work visa issue in 2013 played a pivotal role in the creation of the blockchain platform. Vitalik Buterin, who was then writing for Bitcoin Magazine, met Armstrong at a Bitcoin conference in San Jose in 2013. A few months later, he visited Coinbase’s first office in San Francisco and was offered a job by Armstrong and co-founders Fred Ehrsam and Olaf Carlson-Wee. However, his U.S. work visa was denied, forcing him to return to Canada, where he began working on Ethereum in late 2013 [1].

The visa denial, according to Armstrong, redirected Buterin’s path and led to the development of Ethereum, a platform that would eventually become foundational to the decentralized finance (DeFi) and non-fungible token (NFT) ecosystems. Buterin had previously contributed to a project called Mastercoin and had already begun to explore blockchain’s potential beyond digital payments. His vision led to the drafting of the Ethereum white paper in November 2013, which was later presented at a Bitcoin conference in Miami in early 2014 alongside Mihai Alisie, Anthony Di Iorio, and Charles Hoskinson [1].

A crowdfunding campaign for Ethereum ran from July 20 to September 2, 2014, raising 60 million Ether in initial tokens. This event marked a turning point in the project’s development and attracted early supporters. Armstrong speculated that if Buterin had been allowed to stay in the U.S., he might have joined Coinbase and potentially shaped Ethereum as part of the exchange’s platform infrastructure. However, the rigid immigration process at the time forced him to return to Canada, where the project took off independently [1].

The incident highlights the broader impact of immigration policies on tech innovation. A 2024 report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies noted that immigrants have historically driven significant tech growth in the U.S., with visa holders contributing heavily from 1990 to 2010. Buterin’s story serves as a case study in how policy decisions can shape technological outcomes. His return to Canada not only led to the creation of Ethereum but also reinforced the global nature of blockchain development [1].

As Ethereum marks its 10th anniversary on July 30, 2025, the platform has evolved into a major player in the blockchain ecosystem. It now supports a wide range of decentralized applications (dApps), DeFi protocols, and NFTs. While some critics, like @GhostofWhitman, have questioned Ethereum’s structure in the past, Armstrong’s post emphasizes the role of chance and circumstance in major technological shifts [1].

Source: [1] [How a Visa Issue Led to Ethereum’s Creation, 10 Years Ago Today](https://coinmarketcap.com/community/articles/688a8d973b65197fa8bb5eab/)