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Ethereum 2.0 launched as scheduled, with the genesis block containing a mysterious message "Mr F was here" sparking discussions.

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Ethereum 2.0 launched as scheduled, with the genesis block containing a mysterious message "Mr F was here" sparking discussions.

Ethereum 2.0 Beacon Chain was released as scheduled, officially going live at 8:00 PM yesterday (12/1). ETH 2.0, as its name suggests, "Serenity," quietly completed a historic upgrade while the public focused on Bitcoin's movements. The genesis block also contains a hidden message: "Mr F was here."

Ethereum 2.0: A Series of Twists and Turns

In reality, Ethereum 2.0 has faced multiple delays. Originally scheduled for release in January of this year, subsequent tentative dates in the second quarter and on 7/30 (Ethereum's fifth anniversary) were also missed. It was not until yesterday's launch that the mainnet deposit contract met the deadline after a final push, finally realizing years of development and deployment.

This also signifies that with the fifth year of Ethereum, the Proof of Work (PoW) will slowly become history, replaced by the Proof of Stake (PoS) mechanism. Founder Vitalik Buterin has emphasized the advantages of the PoS transition, stating that the network based on the beacon chain will be more secure and possess a higher level of decentralization.

Who is Mr. F?

Looking back to 2009 when Bitcoin went live, the "Genesis Block" of Bitcoin, which is the first block in history, contained a message from the creator Satoshi Nakamoto, referencing the headline of that day's edition of The Times:

January 3, 2009: Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks.

Perhaps in keeping with tradition or to pay homage to Satoshi Nakamoto, the beacon chain Genesis Block also holds a mysterious message:

Mr. F was here.

Genesis Block of the beacon chain (Source: beaconscan)

This has left many community members puzzled, with even blockchain media outlet The Block's Research Director, Larry Cermak, unsure of the identity of Mr. F.

Community members mistakenly believed Mr. F to be a core Ethereum developer akin to Satoshi Nakamoto. Ethereum 2.0 researcher Ansgar Dietrichs tweeted:

"One small step for Mr. F, one giant leap for mankind."

However, the real Mr. F, with the username Mr. Fahrenheit, confirmed his identity on the community platform Discord. He was unsure if he was a validator of the Genesis Block and found it amusing that people likened him to Satoshi Nakamoto, stating:

"The comparison is a bit silly; I have never contributed to the development of Ethereum 2.0. I'm more like a weirdo who would call himself Satoshi Nakamoto."

Screenshot of Mr. F's conversation on Discord (Source: Discord)

Ethereum developer Hudson Jameson, in conversation with Mr. F, learned that his name is derived from the Queen song "Don’t Stop Me Now/Mr. Fahrenheit" and abbreviated, showing the signature Vitalik gave him initially.

Major Institutions Positioning Themselves for ETH 2.0 Staking

As Ethereum 2.0 goes live, exchanges like Coinbase and Binance have announced their support for staking. Crypto institution Messari researcher Ryan Watkins believes that current staking returns for 2.0 are still in the early stages of high returns, with rates decreasing daily as more participants join. He tweeted:

Stakers can expect an annual return of around 4-6%, currently around 20%.

Change in staking returns for 2.0 (Source: @RyanWatkins_)

Ethereum's patriarch, Vitalik, also shared this historic moment on Twitter. Not only does he see nothing wrong with Mr. F's block message, but he also made an interesting comparison:

Regular people: Maybe we should add something meaningful and profound to the Ethereum PoS Genesis Block message, like a giant leap for mankind.

Ethereum community: Mr. F was here.