Vitalik Buterin came up with the term “BTC maxis” \ stacker news ~bitcoin

Vitalik Buterin came up with the term “BTC maxis”

3152 sats \ 17 comments \ @cryotosensei 21 Apr 2023 bitcoin

I just learnt the other day that the term “BTC maximalists” could be traced back to Vitalik Buterin. It appears that back in 2016, he used this term to criticise how the way BTC users firmly believed that “it’s BTC’s way or the Highway” was unethical. Perhaps he meant it to be a thinly veiled attack because he had come up with Ethereum then and wanted more people to pay attention to it?

In any case, how do you feel about Vitalik Buterin? Do you think that he shouldn’t have leveraged such criticism against BTC HODLers? Or are you sympathetic towards him as someone who was just trying to garner greater public interest for his product?

view all related items

679 sats \ 5 replies \ @orthzar 21 Apr 2023

how do you feel about Vitalik Buterin?

He is playing a very dangerous game in order to make a lot of money. He has let greed overtake his reason. And it could easily get him killed when ETH crashes.

Do you think that he shouldn’t have leveraged such criticism against BTC HODLers?

Bitcoin maxis have taken that derogatory label and turned it into a badge of honor. So his ciriticisms of maxis have been a waste of time, at best.

But more generally, it is always unwise to criticize people who are trying to help you avoid harm (just as alcoholics shouldn't get mad when their friends/family say "stop drinking alcohol"). If you think they are wrong, then just say "I appreciate the advice" and continue what are doing. And if you do get harmed, apologize to the people who tried to help you avoid that harm. Vitalik might never get the chance to apologize.

Or are you sympathetic towards him as someone who was just trying to garner greater public interest for his product?

Bitcoin maxis have been criticizing Vitalik for years. And his criticisms of maxis prove that he is hearing their criticisms. So, it's hard for me to have sympathy for him. He has dug himself into a hole -- and he could get out right now by giving up his ill-gotten wealth. But he insists on staying in that hole and continuing to dig. The time is fast approaching when that hole will become too deep to escape. That's when his colleagues will betray him to save themselves.

I wonder if Vitalik is even aware of the danger ahead of him.

15 sats \ 4 replies \ @l0k18 21 Apr 2023

Do you think he is entirely innocent though? If vanity is the root of his crime isn't that still a crime?

83 sats \ 0 replies \ @sudonaka 21 Apr 2023

He’s not innocent at all

34 sats \ 2 replies \ @orthzar 21 Apr 2023

Do you think he is entirely innocent though?

Vitalik is in no way innocent. He is responsible for the design of Ethereum, and he seems to also be responsible for how the Ethereum Foundation's portion of the pre-mine is spent.

However, Vitalik isn't 100% responsible either. There were other founders and a bunch of other programmers, all of whom share the blame for the scam. But I would guess he is probably the most responsible of all the people at the Ethereum Foundation.

But his level of responsibility won't matter when Ethereum crashes. He is the frontman for Ethereum, so he is the most likely to be attacked by some rando when Ethereum crashes. But any such attack will be unjustified, since that can't get back any of the money lost to the financial blackhole known as Ethereum.

If vanity is the root of his crime isn't that still a crime?

I haven't seen any evidence that Vitalik is motivated by vanity. I see evidence that he thinks Ethereum is a good idea, so he probably has pride in his work. As far as his public appearance I've seen lots of pictures of him where he's dressed like a slob. If he were cultivating a public image, he's doing the worst job I've ever seen. He doesn't even have a personal brand; it's all about Ethereum for him.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @l0k18 22 Apr 2023

Vanity doesn't only mean about appearance, it is also other people's perception.

34 sats \ 0 replies \ @energycurrency 21 Apr 2023

deleted by author

636 sats \ 0 replies \ @grayruby 21 Apr 2023

I think he hated the fact that he couldn't control bitcoin (he wanted composability, larger blocks etc) so he went and made a project that he could control. I have no problem with that, I have a problem with how it was sold, the scammy marketing over the years and paying influencers to promote eth and slam bitcoin etc. The constant narrative shift to try and suck more people in when the last narrative is dwindling.

He wants his cake and to eat it to. He wants all the positive features of a centralized corporation but under the guise and regulatory regime of a decentralized protocol.

I like to describe ethereum as Vitalik and eth devs sandbox where they circle jerk over complexity and your net worth is along for the ride. And I am absolutely fine with that existing in the world, as long as people understand what it is. Unfortunately, 90% of eth holders don't have any clue.

288 sats \ 0 replies \ @TNStacker 21 Apr 2023

He didn't know it would become a compliment! 🤣

443 sats \ 4 replies \ @phygit 21 Apr 2023

Vitalik is a pure genius and the success of Ethereum is of historical proportion.

Not sure he was at the origin of the "BTC Maxis" wording, maybe so, but that's surely not what defines the guy. He also explained many times from the start that Ethereum and Bitcoin were not competitors. The people who grasped the "Maxis" flag are the one constantly opposing ETH to BTC, insulting all other projects, and damaging the Bitcoin image on a daily basis in the process.

It also helps to know that Vitalik was the first editor in chief and co-founder of Bitcoin Magazine 10 years ago, meaning the guy made more to get people aware of Bitcoin in the early days than most people here.