OKX Founder Star Xu Shares Story of Rejecting Ethereum Listing in 2017
OKX founder Star Xu recounted his early skepticism toward Ethereum, recalling how he dismissed Vitalik Buterin's initial listing pitch.
A candid reflection on early Ethereum listing history recently offered a unique look back at how major exchange leaders originally evaluated emerging smart contract platforms during digital asset market infancy. The revelation highlights the unpredictable evolution of the industry over the past decade.
During a September 2026 discussion with Merov Crypto, as shared on X, OKX founder Star Xu disclosed that he originally dismissed Ethereum when co-founder Vitalik Buterin directly pitched the token for listing back in 2017. Xu admitted that he misjudged the asset's long-term utility at the time and used derogatory industry slang to describe the project.
The retrospective admission underscores the immense difficulty early industry figures faced when distinguishing between experimental networks and foundational layer-one blockchains. Despite early skepticism from major centralized venues, Ethereum subsequently became the premier infrastructure layer for decentralized finance, stablecoins, and Web3 applications.
Today, Ethereum stands as the second-largest digital asset by market capitalization, widely integrated across all global trading platforms, including OKX. Xu’s candid reflection serves as a reminder to modern digital asset analysts that early network fundamentals and community developer growth frequently outshine initial market skepticism.
Key takeaways
- OKX founder Star Xu revealed he rejected Vitalik Buterin's Ethereum listing request in 2017.
- Xu openly admitted to severely underestimating the platform's long-term potential during early market cycles.
- Ethereum subsequently grew into the foundational blockchain powering global decentralized finance.