When we think of places where we’re mostly likely to spot a billionaire in Singapore, an MRT station might not be the first that comes to mind.
However, that’s precisely where one commuter spotted Vitalik Buterin, who is none other than the founder of the cryptocurrency network Ethereum.
Source: Facebook
He was alone in the photo and seemed to be relaxing while using his phone.
On Tuesday (20 Feb), Facebook user Mr Asan Kayo uploaded a photo of someone sitting on a bench at the King Albert Park MRT Station platform.
He told MS News that he first stumbled upon the photo of the man who resembles Mr Vitalik Buterin on the Singapore Stuff Facebook page.
In the image, the 30-year-old Russian-Canadian entrepreneur was dressed in a simple black T-shirt, shorts, and sneakers as he used his phone.
In other words, he looked like any other ordinary commuter.
Source: Facebook
While it’s likely that Mr Buterin was checking his emails or updates on the crypto market, one commenter quipped that he was checking how much he had spent on SimplyGo.
Source: Facebook
Another user asked why the OP didn’t greet Mr Buterin or take the opportunity to ask when the Ether (ETH), Ethereum’s main token, will soar in price.
Source: Facebook
Others admired how someone as wealthy as Mr Buterin was still willing to take public transport.
Source: Facebook
After all, he could easily afford a fleet of fancy cars or call a cab.
As for possible reasons he was in town, The Straits Times (ST) once reported that Mr Buterin visits Singapore regularly as the Ethereum Foundation, of which he is a director, is based here.
According to Forbes, Mr Buterin became the world’s youngest crypto billionaire in May 2021 when the ETH crossed US$3,000 (S$4,038) per coin.
He was only 27 years old at that time.
Source: Bloomberg
However, in a tweet on 20 May 2022, Mr Buterin clarified that he was “not a billionaire anymore”.
Source: @VitalikButerin on X
Many news outlets attributed this to the cryptocurrency market crash, which also affected the fortunes of many other prominent tech giants.
He definitely isn’t broke, though — his estimated net worth still stands at around US$650 million (S$875 million), according to CryptoVantage.
Despite his literal millions, Mr Buterin seems content to lead a simple and low-key life.
In a blog post from June 2022, he shared that he lives as a “nomad” and carries all his belongings in a 40-litre backpack.
Source: vitalik.eth.limo
He even name-dropped his favourite clothing brand, which is one that all Singaporeans would be familiar with.
“My current strategy is to be a Uniqlo maximalist,” he wrote. “[A]ltogether, about 70% of the clothing items in my bag are from Uniqlo.”
Who knew we would have more in common with a tech billionaire — former or not — than we thought?
Also read: AXS Mobile App Users Can Pay Bills Using Cryptocurrencies Such As Bitcoin & Ethereum
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Featured image adapted from Facebook and CNN.
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