Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong Reflects on His Encounter with Vitalik in 2013, Revealing How U.S. Immigration Policy Indirectly Contributed to the Birth of Ethereum, Sparking Community Discussion.
(Background Summary: The Ethereum Foundation Releases a 10-Year Blueprint: Unlocking 1 Million TPS for ETH, Building Quantum Security Defenses, and Streamlining Protocols with Three Upgrades)
(Contextual Background: Bitmine Holds the Most ETH but Faces Extreme Losses? With 560,000 Ethereum in Hand, Its Stock Price Plummeted by 80% in Less than a Month)
2013 Encounter
On the occasion of Ethereum’s tenth anniversary, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong recently posted on X to reflect on his first meeting with Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin, sharing an interesting perspective on how this encounter unexpectedly influenced the development of the cryptocurrency industry.
Ethereum.
Fun fact: I met @VitalikButerin in 2013 at the San Jose Bitcoin conference when he was writing for Bitcoin Magazine (his writing was great). A few months later I invited him to come by Coinbase’s first office in San Francisco for a visit and he showed us some cool…https://t.co/VPkq6BcX1j
— Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong) July 30, 2025
Visa Issues and a Twist of Fate
According to Brian Armstrong’s post, his first meeting with Vitalik Buterin took place at the 2013 San Jose Bitcoin conference. At that time, Vitalik was writing for Bitcoin Magazine, and Armstrong praised his writing style. Shortly after the conference, Armstrong invited Vitalik to visit Coinbase’s first office in San Francisco, where Vitalik showcased several innovative technical ideas. Coinbase team members Fred and Olaf were also present, and the three decided to extend an invitation to Buterin to join their team.
Note: Vitalik was a co-founder and early writer for Bitcoin Magazine, but after stepping away, he no longer managed or edited its operations. The magazine has been under the actual control of BTC Inc since 2015.
However, this “Coinbase recruitment” ultimately fell through due to visa issues. Armstrong stated in his post that Buterin had to return to Canada for a series of reasons, including being unable to secure a U.S. work visa. This episode became a crucial backdrop for the subsequent birth of Ethereum. Armstrong wrote:
“During his stay in Canada, he created Ethereum. So, to some extent, the incomplete U.S. immigration system contributed to the birth of Ethereum.” According to Armstrong, if U.S. immigration policy had been more relaxed at the time, Vitalik might have joined Coinbase, potentially rewriting the entire development path of the industry and possibly even preventing the birth of Ethereum… it really is a case of ‘a single thought could change the entire industry landscape.’
Community Reactions and Diverse Perspectives
This post sparked enthusiastic discussions on X, currently attracting over 1.1 million views. User @DigiMaaya commented, “It’s surprising that a visa issue could shape the future of cryptocurrency. Sometimes, resistance actually spurs innovation.” Another user, @MightyDylanK, pointed out that Buterin had worked at eToro in Israel before founding Ethereum, indicating that the development path of the industry is often more complex than one might imagine.
On the other hand, Armstrong’s post also prompted some users to criticize the U.S. immigration system. Some users argued that the current system places excessive emphasis on document review while neglecting potential and innovation, resulting in top talents like Vitalik being unable to remain in the U.S. This phenomenon not only causes the U.S. to miss out on potential innovative opportunities but also allows other countries to capture these entrepreneurial dynamics.
