Key Takeaways
- Gavin Wood is a British programmer, co-founder of Polkadot, and former Ethereum CTO. He created Solidity and Proof-of-Authority.
- Wood studied software engineering and computer science, worked on audio projects, and helped develop game engines before focusing on blockchain technology.
- Wood co-founded Ethereum with Vitalik Buterin, helped write the Ethereum Yellow Paper, and developed Solidity, the language for smart contracts.
Who Is Gavin Wood?
Gavin James Wood (born April 1980) is a British programmer and Co-founder of Polkadot Network. He was also a Co-founder and former CTO of the Ethereum Foundation. He created key blockchain technologies like Solidity, Proof-of-Authority, and Whisper.
He founded Parity Technologies in 2015 and introduced the term “Web 3.0” in 2014. He is also the President of the Web3 Foundation, which supports decentralized web projects. He is the President of the Web3 Foundation, which helps develop decentralized web projects.
Educational Background
Wood studied software engineering at the University of York, where he got a Master’s in Computer Systems and Software Engineering in 2002 and a Ph.D. in Computer Science in 2005. His research on music visualization led to the creation of Moodbar, a tool used in Linux music apps.
Early Career and Projects
Before Ethereum, Wood began his career in the early 2000s, working on systems to improve audio signals with a project called Exscalibar. After earning his Ph.D., he contributed to creating a new game engine at Frontier Developments. In 2007, he founded Quid Pro Code, a software company where he developed Martta, the first C++ language workbench. He also worked with Microsoft Research on creating special languages for embedded systems.
Music and Audio Work
In 2011, as Technical Director at Lancaster Logic Response, Wood used his Ph.D. research to design real-time light shows for music featured in top nightclubs in London. He also worked on Noted, a C++ tool for studying audio and writing music.
Co-Founding Ethereum
In 2013, while working on OxLegal, a tool for smart contracts, Gavin met Vitalik Buterin. This meeting led to the creation of Ethereum, a platform for building decentralized apps. In January 2014, Wood, Buterin, and others developed the first working version of Ethereum, PoC-1, at a beach house in Miami.
Becoming The CTO
Wood became a co-founder and the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the Ethereum Foundation. He wrote the Ethereum Yellow Paper, which explained how the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) works to run smart contracts. Over the next two years, Wood helped build Ethereum’s platform, created most of the C++ Ethereum client, and helped design Solidity, the programming language for smart contracts.
Parity Technologies and Key Projects
In 2016, he started EthCore, which later became Parity Technologies, a company that builds blockchain tools for the decentralized web. Parity was co-founded with former Ethereum team members, including Dr. Jutta Steiner, Dr. Aeron Buchanan, and Ken Kappler. At Parity, Wood led projects like Parity Ethereum, one of the fastest and most advanced Ethereum clients, and Substrate, a flexible platform for creating custom blockchains.
Web3 Foundation
In 2017, Wood founded the Web3 Foundation, a nonprofit that supports decentralized internet technology. The foundation’s first big project was the Polkadot network, a system that connects different blockchains, which Wood co-founded after leaving Ethereum.
The Creation of Polkadot
In 2016, Wood helped create Polkadot, a network designed to enable the transfer of data and tokens across multiple blockchains. He teamed up with Robert Habermeier, an expert in blockchain, distributed systems, and cryptography, and Peter Czaban, the Technology Director at Web3 Foundation.
Kusama’s Role in Polkadot’s Development
Web3 Foundation also created Kusama, a “canary network” where new technologies are tested before being launched on Polkadot. Kusama’s flexible rules allow for faster updates and improvements, making it an important part of Polkadot’s development by providing a safe space for real-time testing. Many features of the Polkadot are first tested in Kusama.
Wood still plays a big role in guiding the development of both Kusama and Polkadot. He has helped start or advise other companies, including Blockchain Capital and Polychain Capital.
Wood Steps Down as Parity CEO
On October 21, 2022, Gavin Wood announced on X (formerly Twitter) that he was stepping down as CEO of Parity Technologies, the company behind Polkadot. He said he wanted to focus more on making blockchain technology easier for the public to understand.
Gavin remained the company’s majority shareholder and became the new Chief Architect. Björn Wagner, Parity’s co-founder, became the new CEO.
JAM
Gavin Wood created JAM (Join-Accumulate Machine), a new blockchain model for Polkadot that improves its efficiency and flexibility. Introduced at Token2049 in April 2024, JAM combines Ethereum’s smart contracts with Polkadot’s network. It eliminates regular transactions and processes actions in three steps: Refine, Collect, and Transfer, similar to Ethereum’s gas system.
Wood’s Blockchain Vision
Gavin Wood wants to create an internet where people control their own data, privacy, and digital assets. He believes blockchain can give power to individuals and reduce control from big companies. With projects like Polkadot and Ethereum, Gavin aims to build a safer, fairer, and better digital world that encourages new ideas, teamwork, and openness.
Final Thoughts
Gavin Wood has been an important figure in blockchain technology. He co-founded Ethereum, created tools like Solidity and Proof-of-Authority, and started Polkadot and the Web3 Foundation to build a decentralized internet. Through projects like Polkadot, Kusama, and Parity Technologies, Wood is still shaping blockchain’s future. His recent work, like the JAM blockchain model, aims to make blockchain easier and more efficient.
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