In broad discussion on crypto's future, Vitalik Buterin warns political tokens 'are vehicles for unlimited political bribery'

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin posted on social media Thursday that political tokens can lead to "unlimited" bribery.  

Buterin's comments were part of a broader discussion on the crypto industry's trajectory, especially as powerful political leaders like President Donald Trump embrace cryptocurrency. Buterin noted that certain parts of the industry chafe against each other for their short-term and long-term value, drawing comparisons between "hyperaddictive cellphone games" and chess. 

"Over the last year, we have been entering a new order," Buterin wrote on X. "Now, the most powerful people in the world are cheering on the idea of anyone creating tokens for anything, at any scale. And so now is the time to talk about the difference between sugar-high short-term fun that is unwise to recommend to newbies, and long-term fulfillment and wealth-building. It is not about 'fun is bad,' it is about the equivalent of modern hyperaddictive cellphone games, versus chess or World of Warcraft."

"Now is the time to talk about the fact that large-scale political coins cross a further line: they are not just sources of fun, whose harm is at most contained to mistakes made by voluntary participants, they are vehicles for unlimited political bribery, including from foreign nation states," he continued. 

Two large-scale political coins unveiled recently are TRUMP and MELANIA, both tied to President Trump and first lady Melania Trump. Both tokens launched ahead of Trump's inauguration as the 47th United States president on Jan. 20 and experienced major price crashes soon after, The Block previously reported.