Who is Daniel Larimer? Net Worth, EOS Vision & Holdings
Daniel Larimer is a popular software engineer and financier who has played a major role in building the blockchain industry. Thanks to his creation of DPoS, Larimer has helped shape the industry by founding BitShares, Steem, and EOS. Through his use of scalable and decentralized methods, he tries to give users the freedom and independence he values. In 2025, Larimer’s net worth is estimated at around $700 million thanks to his ownership in the mentioned projects and his crypto assets. In this article, we cover Larimer’s influence in blockchain, the bold ideas in his EOS plan, and a look at his investments, based on his role in the cryptocurrency world.
Daniel Larimer’s growing impact on the world of Blockchain
Larimer’s journey with blockchain started that same year, when he discovered Bitcoin and became fascinated by decentralized technology. Because he was unhappy with the risks of relying on central exchanges, he launched BitShares in 2013, which introduced the idea of a Decentralized Autonomous Company (DAC), which later became known as a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO). Built on the Graphene infrastructure, BitShares became the first true decentralized exchange, facilitating the transparent buying and selling of digital assets and the issue of the bitUSD, a stablecoin attached to the U.S. dollar.
Larimer co-founded Steemit with Ned Scott in 2016 and introduced Steem, the world’s initial blockchain-powered social media site. Using the STEEM token, Steemit rewarded people who made and curated content, leading to over 50,000 users each month. Even after $85,000 in tokens was compromised in a 2016 hack, Steemit’s unique model encouraged Hive and Minds to emerge. Larimer was Steemit’s CTO until March 2017, when he put extra effort into building EOS. Thanks to his achievements online, he was listed by CoinDesk among the top 10 most important names in blockchain technology.
EOS Presents a Method for Scaling Blockchains
Larimer built EOS, a blockchain protocol, for the company Block. one and served as its CTO from 2017 to 2021. EOS was released in 2018 following a monumental $4 billion ICO because its founders wanted to improve the issues of scalability and use that other blockchains like Bitcoin and Ethereum faced. EOS was designed to power high-quality dApps by following Larimer’s DPoS system, letting people use the platform for thousands of transactions free of charge. Because all decisions are made via votes on-chain by token holders, EOS challenged Ethereum.
Because it promised strong scalability, EOS earned the nickname “Ethereum killer” by CoinCentral in 2018. Yet, the project experienced problems and in 2019, Block. one settled an SEC case for selling unregistered securities and was fined $24 million. In early 2021, when Voice.com announced that Brennan Larimer had left Block. One, it was because he believed the company’s focus on following the rules limited what it could do in decentralized technology. After leaving EOS, Larimer created Fractally in 2022, hoping to fulfill the original goal of EOS in 2017 by mixing decentralized trading, social media, and voting through the DAO.
Fractally is about the process of innovation repeating throughout the enterprise.
According to a 2022 CryptoPotato announcement, Fractally represents Larimer’s newest goal to establish a “DAO of DAOs.” It uses up-to-date automated market makers and a revised way of rewarding social activity inspired by Steem, so as to keep abuse away and encourage users to be active. Larimer asked John Williamson, who built Violet Garden on EOS, to create a social media platform focused on governance. In 2021, the project tried out fractal governance with Eden on EOS, running elections joined by hundreds, which Larimer said were successful. In his book, More Equal Animals: The Subtle Art of True Democracy, he lists these practices and explains why community engagement is best.
He is known for leading ClarionOS and continuously helping within the EOS community, which shows he remains dedicated to technologies that can’t be censored. When questioned by Cryptonomist in 2021, he explored how a libertarian view helps him focus on tools that give power back to individuals. His exit from BitShares and Steemit didn’t lower his impact, as Lisk and Ark use his Graphene and DPoS technologies.
Net Worth and Assets
According to iWealthyFox in 2022, Larimer’s fortune of $700 million comes from his holdings in BitShares, Steem, EOS, and personal cryptocurrency. It is believed that he began investing in Bitcoin early on, but what precisely made up his portfolio is private. A good part of Larimer’s wealth comes from owning EOS tokens, the market value of which reached tens of billions when they peaked in 2018. Larimer has invested some of his earnings from Cryptonomex Inc., which he started with his father.
Larimer values building long-term technology solutions more than short-term returns. When interviewers have asked about his money, he has pointed out the technology’s ability to remake finance and politics. Ego Death Capital, the venture fund he helped found, focuses on Bitcoin and indicates he is opening doors for startups in the crypto world. During that year on X, @EOSIsDown gave praise to Larimer for inventing DeFi and for his early insight into DPoS, proving that the community recognized his valuable role.
Analysis and Advice
His work stretches from developing the code itself to hosting thought leader conversations. On his blog, More Equal Animals, he seeks to replace systems like Apple and Google with decentralized alternatives. Through his 2019 talk at the Virginia Tech blockchain boot camp aimed at students, organized by Block. One, Brett taught how EOSIO can be used. His posts on Medium, which cover biblical studies and astronomy, show some philosophical interest, yet his main focus is inventing new blockchain applications.
Many in the industry, such as blockchain consultant Tone Vays, have disparaged Larimer as a “pump and dump merchant” due to his frequent moves between projects, as CoinBureau wrote in 2023. A number of backers argue that his businesses evolved to focus more on technology than on daily management, leaving DAOs and DPoS behind. Larimer mentioned in a 2020 Bitcoin interview that a decentralized future should allow for free market, voluntary ways to take care of life, liberty, and property. In 2022, he committed to EOS for the long term with a detailed plan to revitalize the platform.
FAQs
1. What does Daniel Larimer have in 2025?
BitShares, Steem, and EOS, together with his own crypto investing, have made Larimer’s estimated net worth $700 million.
2. What is the EOS blockchain about?
The Blockchain EOS was launched in 2018, running dApps on a fast platform and claiming no transaction charges, all via Larimer’s consensus mechanism.
3. What is known about Fractally, and how is it connected to EOS?
Fractally was co-created by Larimer in 2022 to bring EOS’s 2017 promise to life using decentralized exchange, social media, and governance tools.
4. What made Larimer decide to leave Block? One?
Larimer ended his time at Block. One in 2021 because regulatory pressures made it difficult for the company to deliver on decentralization.
5. What is DPoS, and what makes it significant?
Created by Larimer, Delegated Proof-of-Stake (DPoS) is a way to quickly process transactions, making EOS, Steem, and numerous other coins more efficient.
