Vitalik Buterin Responds to Poll Questioning His Role in Ethereum: ‘King’ or ‘Prophet’?

• Ameen Soleimani’s poll asks if Vitalik Buterin is more of a “king” or a “prophet” in the Ethereum community.
• 80.1% of respondents view Buterin as a “prophet,” highlighting his philosophical influence over governance.
• Buterin clarified that he holds one seat out of the three-member board.in Ethereum Foundation.

Crypto community figure Ameen Soleimani recently sparked a conversation on X with a poll asking whether Ethereum’s co-founder, Vitalik Buterin, is more of a “king” or a “prophet.” 

The poll aimed to frame Buterin’s influence in two distinct ways. The first is as a ruler exerting “hard power” or as a spiritual leader offering “soft power” to guide the Ethereum ecosystem. Specifically, the choices were as follows:

• King: Holding 3/5 board seats at the Ethereum Foundation and setting the organization’s direction. It also includes controlling the ETH network roadmap and wielding significant competition-related influence—representing hard power.

• Prophet: Offering spiritual and moral leadership, posting about values, public goods, zero-knowledge research, and concepts like infinite games—representing soft power.

“Prophet” Wins Crypto Community Poll on Vitalik’s Role

The poll results show that 80.1% of respondents selected “prophet.” This indicates that most crypto community members view Buterin as a guiding philosophical figure rather than a strict ruler of Ethereum’s governance.

In contrast, only 19.9% voted for the “king” designation, suggesting that many see Buterin’s role as more of a thought leader than an authoritative figure.

Related: Is Vitalik Cementing Sole Control Over the Ethereum Foundation?

Vitalik Buterin Responds: “King” Label Doesn’t Fit

In response to the poll, Buterin clarified his actual position within the Ethereum Foundation. He stressed that the notion of him holding 3/5 board seats was outdated, pointing out that since 2017, he has only held one seat out of the three-member board. 

This clarification sheds light on the ongoing talks that Buterin has a central role in determining Ethereum’s overall governance decisions or roadmap.

Related: Vitalik Buterin Outlines Ethereum Future With Layer 2 Advancements

Authority Over EF Leadership Questioned

Meanwhile, last month, Vitalik Buterin publicly stated that he was responsible for deciding the new leadership team of the Ethereum Foundation (EF). He emphasized that one of the key goals of the ongoing reforms is to establish a “proper board” for the EF, but until that is in place, he holds the decision-making authority.

Ameen Soleimani pointed to this statement in response to Buterin’s latest remarks, asking, “So then why did you claim to have full authority over the future leadership of the EF?” As of now, Buterin has yet to respond to Soleimani’s query.