Philosophical clash in crypto circles
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin recently made some pointed comments about Peter Thiel on social media. The 31-year-old programmer didn’t hold back, stating that Thiel is “not a cypherpunk” when you get right down to it. This isn’t just some random criticism—it touches on some pretty fundamental differences in worldview that matter in the crypto space.
Buterin attached some writing that discusses Thiel’s philosophical leanings, specifically his connection to Leo Strauss’s ideas. Strauss was this American scholar who had some pretty strong views about surveillance and global intelligence cooperation. Thiel wrote an essay called “The Straussian Moment” that really digs into these concepts, and it seems he’s been influenced by this thinking since his Stanford days.
The surveillance contradiction
What makes this interesting, I think, is how Thiel’s philosophical positions seem to directly contradict what crypto stands for. The whole cypherpunk movement that gave birth to cryptocurrency was built on anti-surveillance and anti-centralization principles. Yet here’s Thiel, who apparently supports surveillance frameworks, while also being a major investor in Ethereum through his stakes in BitMine Immersion Technologies and ETHZilla.
It creates this weird situation where someone who philosophically supports surveillance is heavily invested in technology that was created to resist exactly that. Thiel holds a 9.1% stake in BMNR, which happens to be the largest corporate holder of Ethereum. Plus he’s got another 7.5% in ETHZilla. That’s not small change we’re talking about.
Buterin’s cautious approach
Buterin seems to be suggesting that the Ethereum community should be more careful about who they let into their inner circles. It’s not just about money—it’s about shared values and principles. When you’re building something that’s supposed to be decentralized and resistant to control, having major stakeholders who philosophically support surveillance creates some tension.
This whole situation might explain why Buterin has been talking about “gradual ossification” for Ethereum. The idea is that once they get the scaling and technical cleanup done, they should be really cautious about making big changes. Maybe he’s thinking about protecting the project’s core principles from outside influences that don’t align with the original vision.
It’s worth noting that Thiel studied under Harry Jaffa and Allan Bloom at Stanford, both of whom were connected to Straussian thought. He even co-founded The Stanford Review, which was shaped by these themes. So this isn’t just some passing interest—it seems to be a pretty deep philosophical commitment.
What strikes me is how this highlights the ongoing tension in crypto between pure ideology and real-world adoption. As these projects grow and attract more mainstream investment, they inevitably have to deal with people who might not share the original cypherpunk ideals. Buterin’s comments suggest he’s aware of this challenge and wants to address it head-on.
