Author: Tristan Greene, CoinTelegraph; Translated by: Baishui, Golden Finance

(Marginal Revolution) founders, economists Tyler Cowen and Alex Tabarrok, recently picked who might win the upcoming 2024 Nobel Prize in Economics.

The discussion took place during the duo’s (Marginal Revolution) podcast episode on October 8.

Coven called it an “unusual choice” and said he would choose Ethereum co-founder and computer scientist Vitalik Buterin if given the chance.

As he and co-host Tabarok discussed their views on the merits of theoretical economics, the two agreed that Buterin should receive the award because "he has really made contributions to monetary economics."

Coven:

“Vitalik built a platform, created a currency, arguably disproved Mises’ regression theorem in the process, and is clearly following in Satoshi’s footsteps, but gosh, what does one have to do to win a Nobel Prize?”

Tabarrok agreed, adding: “Not only that, but Vitalik continues to contribute to Ethereum’s mechanism design by adopting proof-of-stake.”

He likened Ethereum’s evolution from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake to “that video of those guys in Saudi Arabia changing the tires on the car while it’s moving.”

“That’s what Ethereum does,” Tabarrok added.

The two also discussed Buterin’s seemingly easygoing personality, saying he is a representative of the cryptocurrency world and is seen as a smart and likable person.

However, Tabarrok did point out that Buterin’s contribution to cryptocurrency is second only to Bitcoin’s anonymous creator. “Yeah, I agree. Of course, Satoshi should get it too, but I’m sure he’s dead,” he said, prompting Cowen to retort, “I’m not sure he’s dead.”

An HBO documentary purportedly revealed the true identity of Bitcoin’s creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, as computer scientist Peter Todd on Oct. 8.

However, the cryptocurrency community in general does not seem convinced, and Todd himself has denied the veracity of the filmmaker’s claims.

The winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics will be announced on October 14.