Vitalik Buterin was seen as a dark horse for the 2024 Nobel Prize in Economics
Tyler Cowen and Alex Tabarroch, creators of the Marginal Revolution, recently made their picks for who will win the upcoming 2024 Nobel Prize in Economics.
The conversation came up on the Oct. 8 episode of the duo's Marginal Revolution podcast.
In what Cowen called an “unusual choice,” given the opportunity, he chose Ethereum founder and computer scientist Vitalik Buterin.
When he and his collaborator Tabarrok discussed their views on the merits of theoretical economics, the two agreed that Buterin deserved the prize because “he did something in monetary economics.
By Cowen:
“Vitalik built a platform, created a currency, disproved Mises' regression theorem in the process, obviously following in Satoshi's footsteps, but my goodness, what does one have to do to win a Nobel Prize?”
“Not only that, but Vitalik continues to contribute to Ethereum's mechanical design, moving towards proof,” Tabarrok said of the deal.
Likening Ethereum's proof-of-work to a proof-of-stake mechanism, “this video of these guys in Saudi Arabia changing a car tire while the car is moving.”
“That's what Ethereum did,” Tabarrok added.
The pair discussed Buterin's seemingly agreeable nature, describing him as an intellectual and likeable representative of the crypto world.
Tabarrok, however, pointed out that Buterin is the second unknown creator of Bitcoin who contributed to the cryptocurrency. “Yes, I agree. Satoshi, of course, should have found him too, but I'm sure he's dead,” prompting Cowen to retort, “I'm not sure he's dead.
Related: Everything HBO's Bitcoin Documentary About Peter Todd and Satoshi Goes Wrong
In an HBO documentary on October 8, computer scientist Peter Todd revealed the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the supposed inventor behind Bitcoin.
However, by and large, the cryptocurrency community doesn't seem convinced and Todd himself denies the validity of the filmmaker's claims.
The winner(s) of the Nobel Prize for Economics will be announced on October 14.
Magazine: Anti-aging tycoon Brian Johnson is about to commit his life to crypto.
