We know their names, but that’s not always enough. To appreciate the young in the world of business, Fortune, a multinational magazine, publishes its ’40 under 40′ list every year. Yesterday, the 2018 Fortune 40 under 40 list was released—and four crypto players made it. Vitalik Buterin makes Fortune 40 under 40, plus more!
Crypto Makes it on the 2018 Fortune 40 Under 40
When Fortune’s under 40 rankings first started, it was to show off the giants of the dot-com boom. But things are different now, with changes being sparked by the 2008 financial crisis.
Now, Fortune still lists those under 40, but instead of showing their wealth, the magazine highlights their influence, achievements, and power—three qualities that a majority of the crypto industry has (if it were up to us, the list would be full of crypto players), but only four made this year’s list.
So, who are the lucky four?
1. Brian Armstrong Makes Fortune 40 Under 40: CEO of Coinbase
Brian Armstrong, 34, is ranked 20th, a drop from where he placed in 2017 (he was ranked 10th).
Achievements: Fortune talks about how Armstrong is moving Coinbase in the direction of becoming “the Google of crypto.”
The magazine noted that Coinbase has a ways to go, but Armstrong is doing all the right things, like investing in upstarts, as well as making acquisitions.
2. Vitalik Buterin Makes Fortune 40 Under 40: Ethereum Co-Founder
Born in Russia, Vitalik Buterin, 24, made his debut on the Fortune 40 under 40 in 2016. This year Vitalik Buterin makes Fortune 40 under 40, moving from 31st place to 22nd.
Achievements: You can’t argue that Buterin isn’t influential (and, at times, controversial) and Fortune recognizes this. The magazine discussed how Ethereum, his blockchain platform, now has a market value of $48B, making it one of the most valuable crypto networks in the world.
3. Pavel Durov Makes Fortune 40 Under 40: Telegram Founder
Making his debut on the 2018 Fortune 40 under 40, Pavel Durov, 33, is ranked 25th. It’s not a surprise that Durov is ranked, considering it has been one hell of a year for the Russian developer.
Achievements: Durov is on Fortune’s list because back in March, his company Telegram finished two $850M ICOs. In the end, Telegram’s total ICO earnings came to $1.7B.
4. Vlad Tenev and Baiji Bhatt Make Fortune 40 Under 40: Robinhood Founders
Again, not a surprise to see these two crypto industry representatives on the 2018 Fortune 40 under 40.
Co-CEOs of Robinhood, a stock trading app, Tenev, 31, and Bhatt, 33, are both ranked 24th.
Achievements: The above pretty much sums it up. But if you want more, get a load of this: Robinhood is trying to expand crypto trading support and has already raised $363M in funding in an attempt to do so.
The Takeaway
Overall, I would say the 2018 Fortune 40 under 40 is spot on. Some of these crypto players are on the list for a second or third time, while others are making their debuts.
Either way, the people who have taken the industry to the point that it is at now are getting recognized—and that’s nice to see.
What do you think of the 2018 Fortune 40 under 40 list? Should more crypto players be ranked?
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