- Chris Blec founded DeFi Watch to address his concerns about hidden centralization in supposedly decentralized DeFi projects.
- He refuses to compromise ethics despite pressure from projects or crypto media seeking favorable reviews.
While many people know DeFi from the technology side or the profit opportunities, Chris Blec chose a different path—one that often makes him disliked by the crypto project community itself.
He is not a token founder, not a developer who likes to show off his analytics dashboard. Instead, he is known as someone who likes to “dismantle” the kitchen of DeFi projects. And oddly enough, that is what he was looking for from the start.
Chasing Freedom: How Bitcoin Changed Chris Blec’s Path
Previously, he had been involved in various creative projects, including working with UFC and conservative figures such as Glenn Beck and Jim Cramer. His career seemed quite random, until finally in 2017, he met Bitcoin and felt like he had found a ‘rabbit hole’ that fit his obsession with freedom and privacy. From there, everything changed.
While others were still busy trying to understand how yield farming worked, Chris was already busy asking: who actually has control over user funds? It was out of that unease that he founded DeFi Watch, a personal initiative dedicated to highlighting the centralization loopholes in projects that claim to be “decentralized.”
However, his blunt and uncompromising approach often gets in the way of crypto project supporters. Some even call him a troublemaker. But on the other hand, many also call him one of the few who dares to speak up about projects that are too quick to seek funding but lack transparency.
Chris Blec has openly criticized Uniswap and its voting structure, questioning how much influence venture capitalists actually have behind the scenes. “If all decisions are still influenced by big investors, this isn’t DeFi. This is just fintech in new clothes,” is more or less his typical style of speaking.
Tough Questions, Real Talk, Unfiltered Style
Chris is not the type to soften words in order to maintain good relations. In fact, on his podcast, Proof of Decentralization, he often challenges his sources with uncomfortable questions. For example: “What percentage of your team has full admin access?” or “If you resign tomorrow, will this protocol still work?”
Furthermore, he is also active in making videos on YouTube with a relaxed but spicy style. Not infrequently, he uses real-life analogies to convey his points—such as comparing admin control in DeFi to a TV remote that can only be held by one person. “If you have to ask permission to change channels, it’s not your TV,” he said in one video.
Despite his tough style, he remains consistent in voicing one thing: transparency. He believes that if DeFi projects truly want to be an alternative to the traditional financial system, then they must be able to be audited socially, not just technically.
Refusing to Sell Out, No Matter the Cost
It’s not easy being someone like Chris in the rapidly changing crypto industry. On the one hand, he has to deal with fanatical project fans. On the other hand, there is also pressure from projects that try to curry favor through collaborations or requests for “more positive reviews.”
However, Chris sticks to his guns. He refuses sponsors from DeFi projects who want to buy reviews or ‘branding.’ He even quit several crypto media because he didn’t want to compromise his personal ethics.
One thing that makes Chris interesting is his consistency. As DeFi projects age and more money comes in, voices like Chris’s are becoming less and less heard. But that’s precisely why he remains relevant.
Behind the Scenes, But Never Silent
It may sound strange, but Chris himself never considered himself a “DeFi savior.” He just wanted to know if the technology could truly empower ordinary people or if it was just another tool to enrich the already wealthy. And he knows the answer isn’t always black and white.
When asked why he keeps doing it, Chris simply replies, “Because I don’t know how to pretend to believe something that I think is a lie.” It sounds simple, but it reflects years of dedication from someone who prefers to stay behind the scenes and ask uncomfortable questions—the ones we might not want to hear, but need to.
