Vitalik Buterin’s Milady Profile Photo Fuels 30% Surge in NFT Floor Price

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has ignited renewed interest in crypto markets by changing his profile picture on X to a Milady NFT. This seemingly simple act helped to drive the collection's floor price up nearly 30% in just 24 hours.

Key Takeaways

Vitalik Buterin's profile pic change to a Milady NFT led to a 30% rise in the collection's floor price.
Milady Maker includes 10,000 quirky NFTs, blending unique art styles with cultural commentary.
Buterin highlighted Ethereum’s long-term goals, focusing on decentralization and user privacy.
Milady has rebounded from controversies and market volatility, showcasing cultural impact on pricing.

Milady Maker NFTs

Data from Coingecko reveal that the floor price for Milady Maker jumped to approximately 1.07 ETH, accompanied by a significant rise in both trading volume and sales following Buterin's profile update.

Buterin's New Year Post

A New Year’s Message from Buterin

This price movement coincided with a New Year’s post from Buterin on X, where he reflected on Ethereum’s advancements in 2025 and outlined his goals for the upcoming year.

“Welcome to 2026! Milady is back,” Buterin stated, highlighting a series of technical achievements accomplished the previous year. These included higher gas limits, increased blob capacity, enhancements in node software quality, and significant progress in zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machines (zkEVMs) and PeerDAS.

He described these milestones as crucial steps toward enhancing Ethereum's power and scalability as a blockchain.

Beyond Short-Term Trends: Ethereum's Long-Term Vision

In his post, Buterin emphasized Ethereum's long-term mission, advocating that the network should not chase short-term trends or speculative fads. Instead, he envisions it as a foundational layer for a freer and more open internet.

He pointed out the significance of decentralized applications that operate without fraud, censorship, or reliance on third-party entities. These applications should remain effective even if their initial developers cease to exist, while also safeguarding user privacy. According to him, such applications should maintain stability regardless of political, corporate, or ideological changes.

The Unique Journey of Milady

The recent attention on Milady has shed light on its unconventional backstory. Launched in August 2021, Milady Maker consists of a collection of 10,000 neochibi-style NFTs on the Ethereum blockchain, developed by the Remilia Collective.

From the beginning, the project embraced irony and discomfort, intentionally mixing cute anime visuals with cryptic humor and insider references that many found hard to grasp initially.

Overcoming Challenges

Milady has navigated numerous controversies, including public disputes involving its creators, legal battles among founders, allegations of misconduct, and technical issues that resulted in fund losses. Despite facing these challenges, the collection has repeatedly shown resilience.

In May 2023, a meme from Elon Musk sparked a surge in trading activity, propelling Milady into the mainstream. Since then, the ecosystem has grown through new tokens, community projects, and cultural events.

Cultural Influences on the Market

Although the NFT market is often unpredictable, Milady's recent price increase demonstrates how cultural influences from prominent figures can impact prices—especially for projects deeply rooted in internet subculture and financial speculation.

As many within the Milady community point out, numerous NFT projects falter by attempting too hard to explain themselves. In contrast, Milady has thrived by maintaining an enigmatic and intriguing identity.