Leaders Series: Robin Weisman @ Coin Center
Issue 15 — March 17th, 2017
This series highlights the unique stories of leaders from various communities across the growing digital currency and blockchain technology industry. The goal is to showcase the fantastic work these leaders are all doing at different levels of their respective organizations, and to encourage more people at all stages of their careers join the revolution we’re creating, together!
Robin Weisman is Senior Policy Counsel at Coin Center
She’s been active in the bitcoin community for over three years.
How did you get into the industry?
I was first introduced to Bitcoin in 2013. Like so many people, when I first learned about bitcoin I was intrigued. While I had a lot of learning to do, what was clear to me was that no one could say where Bitcoin, or more generally open blockchain networks, would take us. And to me that was and continues to be very exciting.
What did you do before you got into this?
I have worked in Washington, DC, for close to 25 years. So my natural entry point was to think about the policy implications associated with Bitcoin. What ultimately had me hooked was the opportunity and the challenge to ensure that policy would not be an impediment to Bitcoin’s progress.
When I got started reaching out to policymakers about Bitcoin it was before the first hearings in Congress. It was also a little over 1 year before Coin Center was formed.
What’s been the most interesting experience you’ve had in your role so far?
What has been the most interesting, and also the most rewarding, is to see how the attitudes of policymakers have evolved over the past three and a half years. When I got started, the number of conversations that started with pessimism far outnumbered those that were positive. How far we have come. Last month Coin Center was thrilled and honored to host the kick off reception for the Congressional Blockchain Caucus!
But this is not to say that our work is done.
What problem is Coin Center solving? Why do you feel passionate about this?
Unlike so many of the other amazing women you have highlighted over the month, I am not a technologist. And, while there a few exceptions, for the most part neither are many policymakers. So we continue to have a gap in understanding about a rapidly growing technology that raises regulatory questions across the board. And, as the technology continues to evolve and flourish, there are more ways in which these developments outpace the law. At Coin Center, we step in to help fill these gaps.
As you think about the evolution of the bitcoin and blockchain space, what do you think is limiting the growth of the space?
One big thing I’d say we’re missing for open blockchain networks is the same kind of explicit policy the federal government had toward the early Internet in the 90s: a hands-off approach that was light-touch when it had to regulate. It was a policy that was punctuated by two important legislative safe harbors for Internet innovators and today we need a safe harbor for non-custodial users of cryptocurrencies.
As you think about this industry, what are you most excited about for the future? What do you think will be disappointing?
I cannot predict what will be disappointing in years to come. What I can say is that there will be disappointments along the way. Just last week, for example, the SEC made clear their position on Bitcoin ETFs. But for me, and for my colleagues at Coin Center, this just motivates us to keep up our outreach, research and advocacy.
Connect with Robin on LinkedIn!
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