Google just took a crack at poaching Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin
It was worth a shot, but almost certainly no dice.
Google might be one of the world's most in-demand employers, but it has still seen a number of employees quit to form their own blockchain ventures. Enough have jumped ship to form the xGoogler Blockchain Alliance (GBA), consisting of former employees gone to the blockchain.
Google hasn't been sitting idle though as the company is reportedly exploring a range of applications with a possible short-term emphasis on cloud systems.
It might be looking for some more expert help though, and one Google recruiter recently took a brave stab at poaching Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin.
It came to light when Buterin posted a screenshot of the email on Twitter, along with a poll asking "Should I drop Ethereum and work for Google?"
The tweet has since been deleted, possibly because the original didn't redact the recruiter's name and email, and possibly because it was being widely reported that Buterin was seriously considering leaving Ethereum for Google. If he did, it would almost certainly do very unpleasant things to Ether's price.
Fortunately for Ethereum fans, it is probably a joke.
One reason it is probably a joke is because it's a Twitter poll, which is obviously much better suited to jokes than serious employment decisions. The second reason is because Ethereum is in a very interesting position right now, with its implementation of Casper, the proof-of-stake protocol, and sharding.
If they work as intended, both of these updates will likely be revolutionary in their own way, serving as a kind of functional proof of concept for two key scaling solutions. Many other projects are looking to introduce the same systems, or have already done so, but Ethereum will be by far the largest and busiest coin to make a live transition.
Scoring Buterin would probably be a major coup for Google, and you can't blame the company for gamely giving it a try, but it's also very unlikely to happen in the near future.
Not least, perhaps, because Ethereum has made Buterin extraordinarily wealthy. Forbes' crypto rich list estimates his wealth in the $400 to $500 million range, so barring some questionable financial choices, he probably doesn't actually have to work again. Google would need to offer a lot more than just a good pay cheque.
Disclosure: At the time of writing, the author holds ETH, IOTA, ICX, VEN, XLM, BTC and NANO.
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