CZ Recalls 2014 Chicago Blockchain Conference: 19-Year-Old Vitalik Talked Ethereum to Everyone He Met Binance founder CZ reviewed the development of the digital asset industry during a live stream of the DC Blockchain Summit 2026 on March 18th. CZ summarized the cryptocurrency industry's journey as "ignored for the first five years, resisted for the next five years, and finally accepted." He recalled that the 2014 industry conference had only about 200 attendees, noting that a then 19-year-old Vitalik was talking about Ethereum to everyone—while today Ethereum is an asset worth hundreds of billions of dollars.