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Agreed, I'm also not invested in crypto but Vitalik seems like one of the genuine people in the space.

It's the unfortunate attraction of the Ponzi grifters and get-rich-quick influencer types that tainted the whole ecosystem.

I'd argue it's the design of crypto, the "crypto values" themselves, that make the space so welcoming to grifters. Emphatically including YC.

I'd say "co-opted" more than "tainted".