At the recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) cryptocurrency roundtable, several key figures shared their views on decentralized finance (DeFi), code, and regulation:
• SEC Chairman Atkins stated, "Engineers should not be held responsible for how others use their code."
• Hester Peirce believes, "Code is protected by the First Amendment and falls under the category of free speech."
• Erik Voorhees said, "Smart contracts are a leap forward compared to human regulators."
• Others pointed out that decentralization is not lawless — it is transparent, predictable, and user-driven.
💬 What are your thoughts on these viewpoints? Should DeFi developers be protected like open-source software developers, or held accountable like financial intermediaries? As finance becomes increasingly reliant on code, how should regulation evolve?