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he's right in that i also detected this sentiment among the bigger actors on the panels to capitulate towards regulation. but what else are they going to say publicly?
certainly if you want to run a biz in the US you probably will have to follow all regs. but that won't stop the Buttonwood ppl.
Agree with this, however if the reference client or even the protocol someday incorporates, say, taint tracking & blacklisting support (to use a topic seriously discussed at the event) in order to facilitate US regulatory compliance, then it becomes much easier for repressive regimes worldwide to piggyback on top of that to keep the average joe under their thumb. I love making money as much as anyone here, but personally I'd prefer that the planet's last chance at financial privacy not be sold down the river just so some guys in Sand Hill Road can buy themselves a second jet.
The vibe I got from Vessenes and several others was that they would attempt to steer Bitcoin in whatever direction was necessary to maximize business use scenarios, even if that meant changes and prioritizations at the expense of decentralization and privacy for individuals. My clear take after this event is that that the code & network will at some point fork between those who see Bitcoin as a vehicle for political change, versus those who want Bitcoin to be sanitized into just a cheaper PayPal/SWIFT. Those two visions are simply not compatible in the long run.