Ethereum Classic and the Ethereum hard fork

Explaining the Ethereum merge in simple terms

Ethereum slowly switched the way it adds blocks to the chain. In 2022, it completed its transition from a proof-of-work model to a proof-of-stake model. That event, called “The Merge,” happened when it combined two Ethereum blockchains operating under different systems. For an explanation of proof-of-work and proof-of-stake, and the significance of switching from one to the other, read this article.

Ethereum’s biggest risks and top criticisms

As it evolves, critics say Ethereum’s constant changes make the platform overly complex and fundamentally less secure. They also say the Ethereum Foundation and a handful of developers wield too much control over the crypto platform, and that gas fees are prohibitively expensive. Some criticisms are addressed in Ethereum’s roadmap, but others strike at the crypto platform’s core. Go deeper on why here.

Ethereum is a blockchain-powered operating system known for its cryptocurrency, ether

Ethereum's underlying blockchain allows developers to build decentralized applications (dApps) that leverage smart contracts to seamlessly run decentralized financial tools (crypto wallets, exchanges, marketplaces, and more), along with Web3 concepts like non-fungible tokens.

Bitcoin and ethereum are decentralized cryptocurrencies with different functions

Bitcoin, launched in 2009, is primarily a digital currency and store of value with a fixed supply. Ethereum, introduced in 2015, enables smart contracts and decentralized apps, offering more flexibility.

How to stake Ethereum

Ethereum switched to a proof-of-stake method for validating transactions in recent years, and now investors can stake 32 ether to participate and earn rewards. Several ways to get involved in ether staking exist, with varying levels of income, difficulty, and impact. Some allow users to stake less than 32 ether by pooling funds with other users, while others require less advanced hardware. Read about the different staking methods here.

The Ethereum Foundation’s latest report

The Ethereum Foundation is a nonprofit organization supporting Ethereum in several ways. These include providing grants to developers who want to build on the blockchain, and hosting events promoting crypto’s future, like Devcon. This annual report grants a peek into the nonprofit’s role in Ethereum's operations and the values it seeks to support through its work. The nonprofit’s frontline involvement is another differentiating factor between Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies.

A letter to Ethereum’s community from an early builder

Fuel Network CEO Nick Dodson writes about his experience as an early app builder on the Ethereum blockchain. He talks about why he perceives Ethereum as being different from rival blockchains like Solana, espousing the ethos and “spirit” of the Ethereum network and community. At the same time, he lays out some hopes he has for the future of Ethereum in a telling peek into an Ethereum insider’s brain. Read the letter here.

Cofounder Gavin Wood said Ethereum is going nowhere

Ethereum’s other cofounder, and the person known for coining the term “Web3,” Gavin Wood, ended his direct involvement with Ethereum in 2016. After that, he founded Polkadot with the aim of resolving the issues he saw with Ethereum. In this podcast, Wood says he thinks Ethereum is a financial success but that its progress has stalled. He also talks about hopes he had for the platform that have yet to be realized.

Crypto's origins date back to 1983

While crypto feels new, it actually dates to 1983, with eCash's creation. However, a lot has happened in the crypto world over the past few years in particular—crypto's market cap surpassed $2T for the first time in 2021, for instance. A timeline of crypto's history details the events in between.

Vitalik Buterin explains ethereum in 30 minutes

Every year, ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin explains what his crypto platform is in a 30-minute presentation at the Ethereum Foundation’s event, Devcon. Buterin’s explanation goes deeper than a simple 101 explanation. To learn more about the current state of ethereum, what’s changed recently, and what Buterin expects down the road, watch this video.

Ethereum Founder Vitalik Buterin was surprised by the emergence of NFTs

Scams have pervaded the NFT space and made critics question their legitimacy, but proponents believe their use cases could one day extend to real estate and credit scores.

What does the surge phase mean for Ethereum?

The Surge is the next major upgrade for Ethereum. It’s a process aiming to scale up Ethereum, letting it handle more transactions, more efficiently. A key part of this process involves “layer 2 rollups,” which bundle transactions in part of the blockchain to process them more quickly. The Surge is expected to improve Ethereum’s decentralization and lower gas fees. Learn more in this article.

Worldwide cryptocurrency heists tracker

A look at the biggest cryptocurrency heists, be they from an exchange, smart contract, or a business, including amounts, methods, reparations, and consequences.

The Chain Reaction podcast: The latest in bitcoin and blockchain developments

There are constantly new tokens, DeFi projects, NFT collections, and DAOs being launched, but how can you make sense of everything going on in the crypto space? TechCrunch senior crypto reporter Jacquelyn Melinek explores the impact of crypto on finance, art, web3, and society as a whole. One the best resources to keep up with actual—meaning, beyond the hype—developments in the world of bitcoin and blockchain.

Web3 is the successor to our current version of the Internet

Web1 (existing roughly from 1990 to 2005) was about decentralized and community-governed open protocols. Most of the value accrued to the edges of the network: users and builders. Web2 (roughly 2005 through 2020) was about siloed, centralized services run by corporations.

Dual-class stock structures separate equity and decision-making authority

In the past few decades, dual-class stock structures have become an increasingly popular way for companies to raise capital in public markets without allocating traditional shareholder voting rights. Meta, Estée Lauder, and The New York Times are companies that are famously dual-class.

Key moments in fintech history include the transatlantic cable’s invention and E-Trade’s founding

Founded in 1982, E-Trade was the first-ever online brokerage, pioneering a method of investing that is common today. Its story is part of a timeline that the New York Times put together of key moments in early fintech history.

TerraUSD offers a cautionary tale of stablecoin use

This stablecoin was completely wiped out in May 2022, losing investors roughly $40B in value, when its linked support token, LUNA, collapsed in value, triggering a spiral that wiped out the dollar peg and left both tokens essentially worthless within days. TerraUSD's creator was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2025. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

The collapse of Archegos Capital Management drew scrutiny to family offices

Archegos, which managed the assets of Bill Hwang, wasn’t subject to the same oversight as traditional investment firms when it collapsed.

When compared to stocks and bonds, alternative investments are often less regulated

Alternative investments are also often less liquid than traditional investments; they carry unique risk, return, and tax considerations.

The overnight collapse of Ello, a beloved, decade-old social network

Ello launched in 2014 with big dreams to avoid advertising and retain a user-friendly, simple style. But in 2023, the hip social network suddenly shut down, removing nine years of posts with no warning. Artists, writers, and other creators lost nearly a decade of work with no explanation. Read the troubling story here.

Venture firm a16z's crypto canon

Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) is a leading venture capital firm with deep expertise in cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. For 10 years, the firm has built its internal knowledge in the area, and archived a wide range of explainers exploring everything from fundamentals to emerging crypto trends, and much more.

The financial crisis in 2008 had a major impact on many 401(k) plans

Amid the 2008 financial crisis, stocks and bonds cratered as the broader market floundered due to the subprime mortgage crisis. Investors with so-called "target-date" funds—which shift allocations based on the maturation of a fund—shared in the slump, with some funds declining by 20% or more just a year or two away from maturation.

Hedge funds make money from imposing steep fees on investors, as well as from investment performance

Hedge funds often operate on a "2 and 20" model: Investors pay fund managers a 2% management fee, and the hedge fund keeps 20% of their profits. (The 2% is imposed annually, irrespective of performance.) Hedge funds are known for chasing big returns—and taking big risks to get them. This explainer not only breaks down how they work in detail, but also the strategy first introduced in 1949 that still shapes hedge fund investing today.

While the first exchange-traded fund (a 'basket' of different assets that can be bought and sold on a stock exchange) in the US only launched in 1993, the global ETF market has grown to more than $10T in the short time since.

The cryptocurrency equivalent of going public

An initial coin offering (ICO) is cryptocurrency's version of an initial public offering (IPO). Similar to the way a company offers shares on the stock market for the first time, ICOs occur when a cryptocurrency company seeks to raise funding for a new coin, app, or service. If you're entering the field, get the details on how it all works.

Hedge funds, the private investment firms that trade a wide swath of financial assets, make money by imposing steep fees on investors and from the fund's investment performance.

Memecoins are a type of cryptocurrency—a form of digital currency with a wide variety of uses—created around popular 'memes,' or viral internet jokes.

Watch this video that uses Lego bricks to explain how venture capital works.

The United States has had a tumultuous relationship with Cuba since its 1959 revolution, highlighted by a nuclear crisis and a decades-long trade embargo.

How fusion—which releases energy when two lighter atoms combine to form a heavier atom—differs from fission

The rivalry between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson centered on federalism—the question of how much power the federal government should hold relative to the states.

Some coin denominations have ridges etched on their sides, partly to prevent counterfeiting, in a practice called 'reeding.'

Elk Cloner, the first computer virus to spread in public, was written as a practical joke by Richard Skrenta, a Pittsburgh high school student.

Explore chaos in this simulation of two double pendulums, where small differences in the release angles produce wildly different outcomes.

Art theft is the third-largest source of criminal revenues worldwide, thanks in part to the subjective nature of valuing a work of art.

Recent research found that the brain doesn't seem to massively rewire following amputation—upending earlier beliefs about the cause of phantom limb pain.

See the evolution of Ebola vaccine and treatment development.

Indefinite cloning of some endangered species may not sustain their longevity because cloning success rates decrease as genetic mutations accumulate.

This site reaches millions of visitors who are tired of AI chatbots and seeking human connection. Pretend to be an AI chatbot and ask questions, provide answers, and draw for people in real time.

Hear 50 years of iconic hip-hop samples, the genre's foundational looped tracks

Budweiser stores yeast derived from the original 1800s strain in a secret bunker, which only the Head of Yeast Management can access—not even the CEO

The distributor behind 'Rocky Horror' pulled the film from its scheduled national release, believing it would be a failure, though it eventually amassed a dedicated fanbase through midnight showings, a trend that continues over 50 years later.

According to the physics of black holes, our 4D reality may be a hologram—a projection of information coded on a 2D surface on the edge of the universe.

For centuries, it was common to sleep in two shifts: a few hours at the beginning of the night, and a longer period beginning around midnight

The hormonal disorder PCOS was renamed PMOS in 2026, a move designed to improve care and research by shifting the focus to the hormonal causes of this condition that affects 1 in 8 women.

11 people died from firework injuries in the US in 2024.

A Yale student wrote a profound essay about the consulting industry's influence on elite college students that was published in a book of her writing after she died in a post-graduation car accident.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps is independent of Iran's regular army and is one of the most powerful and influential military-political organizations in the Middle East.

Explore the archaeological treasures of Pompeii, the city buried under volcanic ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE.