Jon von Tetzchner, CEO and co-founder of Vivaldi, just took a hard swing at the crypto industry, calling for an outright ban. In his words, "We should have banned cryptocurrencies." The browser chief says digital assets are a real threat to democracy.

Main point: crypto threatens democracy

Von Tetzchner argues that the lack of solid regulation has let crypto companies get too cozy with politicians. He links this to the massive cash reserves in the industry, which he claims let them "buy corrupt politicians."

Regulatory vacuum under fire

According to the Vivaldi CEO, experts have been warning about the risks of an unregulated crypto market for years—but those red flags got ignored. Now, von Tetzchner says the commercial interests of crypto firms are spilling over from tech into actual politics.

Who’s making these claims?

Jon von Tetzchner is the founder and CEO of Vivaldi, and was also a co-founder and former chief of Opera Software. His take reflects the viewpoint of a major player in the browser and tech world.