While I agree that we can't discount manipulation in our current market state, i disagree that ASICs are being developed to "defend" ourselves. ASICs are a product of financial greed and it is as simple as that.
Let me fix that for you -
ASICs/GPUs/FPGAs are a product of financial greed and it is as simple as that.
That guy is right, with only 2.5% eth hashpower can get a 51% on etc which I always said not to mine cloned algorithm hashcoins like etc. The idea behind an algo is to be the only and unique so it means if ethash is only on eth then eth network can have the hashpower monitored, etc devs should have changed the algo when the chain was split.
I don't think algo change helps at all, unless the original algo was in ASIC territory. If the original algo is GPU land (as in this example ETC), and changed algo was
also in GPU land, it's just a matter of changing the mining software to that algo.
If the original algo was already in ASIC territory then algo change will secure you as the ASIC will not work on your network (of course, until a new ASIC comes around).