When industry leaders compromise on regulatory clarity, there's a real cost. Some in crypto are willing to hand over autonomy to securities regulators in exchange for perceived legitimacy—even embracing proposals from vocal critics. This calculus betrays the core premise behind Bitcoin and the broader decentralization movement: financial systems shouldn't require permission from centralized gatekeepers. The question becomes whether regulatory acceptance is worth sacrificing the freedom that crypto was designed to protect. There's nothing liberating about trading one form of control for another, no matter how official the paperwork looks.