Some Personal News…
After a decade of defending crypto rights, we’re passing the torch to a new generation of leadership to continue the fight for privacy and innovation.
Coin Center celebrated its tenth anniversary earlier this year, which was an incredible milestone, and we think it’s the right time for another one. At the end of the year I will step down as Executive Director, and Robin Weisman will step down as Senior Policy Counsel, and pass the torch of leadership for Coin Center’s next chapter.
It has been the absolute privilege of my life to help found and lead this organization and to work with the most talented, fun, and effective team of which I’ve ever been a part. I’m especially indebted to Robin who has always more than made up for my weaknesses, and without whom we wouldn’t have been nearly as successful. Robin and I will remain on the Coin Center board of directors and will continue to advise the team into the future.
Peter Van Valkenburgh will take over as Executive Director on January 1. There is no one better suited to the job. Peter groks Coin Center’s mission better than anyone and his depth of knowledge and experience at the intersection of crypto and constitutional law is unmatched. Landon Zinda will take over our government outreach efforts as Policy Director, and Neeraj Agrawal and Antonie Hodge will have expanded roles in fundraising and management. They are truly a dream team.
I’d like to thank our supporters over the years for the opportunity you’ve given us to do our work. I’ve said this to you often, but I repeat it because it’s true: our work would not be possible without your support. And because our work is independent and focused on public goods and civil liberties, rather than private interests, it means a lot that you give to our mission.
I’ll leave my role at Coin Center very proud of what we’ve accomplished over the last ten years. When we started in 2014, it was not clear that governments would allow Bitcoin to flourish. Bitcoin and crypto are technically unstoppable, yes, but in the short term there was a lot of harm that could have been done and that many tried to do. Our goal at the outset was to secure time for Bitcoin to reach ‘escape velocity,’ and on that score, I think we succeeded.
The struggle is not over yet, though. We must remain vigilant and continue to fight for our rights to make and use crypto software, and to do so privately. So I’m glad there’s a strong and venerable institution, soon with new energetic leadership, purpose-built and perfectly matched for that challenge. I can’t wait to see what the next ten years bring.