From NFL to Startup COO to Congressman Regulating Crypto (with Rep. Anthony Gonzalez)

This episode is a first for Acquired: we’re joined by a sitting US Congressman (from Ben’s home state of Ohio!), Republican House Representative Anthony Gonzalez. Anthony serves on the House Financial Services Committee and is *deeply* involved in crypto and Web3 regulation, as well as on the Climate and Science, Space & Technology Committee where he oversees NASA among many other agencies. His also has an absolutely incredible story — his family immigrated from Cuba to Ohio, he played in the NFL, he was COO of an Investment Group of Santa Barbara backed startup, and he was one of a small number of Republican congresspeople who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump after the events January 6th. If you want more Acquired, you can follow our public LP Show feed in the podcast player of your choice (including Spotify!): http://pod.link/acquiredlp Links: Schoolhouse Rock “I’m Just a Bill”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgVKvqTItto Sponsors: Thanks to Vanta for being our presenting sponsor for this special episode. Vanta is the leader in automated security compliance – making SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, and more a breeze for startups and organizations of all sizes. You might say they’re like the “AWS of security and compliance”! Everyone in the Acquired community can get 10% off using this link: https://bit.ly/acquiredvanta Thank you as well to Brex and to Tiny: https://bit.ly/acquiredbrex https://bit.ly/acquiredtiny Note: Acquired hosts and guests may hold assets discussed in this episode. This podcast is not investment advice, and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. You should do your own research and make your own independent decisions when considering any financial transactions.

Ben GilberthostDavid RosenthalhostAnthony Gonzalezguest

Aug 1, 20222h 1mWatch on YouTube ↗

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Anthony Gonzalez on crypto regulation, democracy, and American industrial renewal

This Acquired interview features Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), a former NFL player and startup operator, on what it’s like to legislate at the intersection of finance, technology, and national competitiveness.
Gonzalez explains how he applied startup tactics to win a congressional race, then used hands-on experimentation in DeFi to better understand crypto’s mechanics before shaping policy ideas—especially around stablecoins.
He recounts the events of January 6 and his vote to impeach President Trump, framing it as a constitutional obligation and a signal to future presidents about democratic guardrails.
Across committees, he argues the U.S. must pursue a dynamic, resilient economy—leading in critical technologies, reshoring key supply chains with allies, and innovating (not moralizing) its way through climate and industrial trade-offs.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Hands-on use is essential for tech regulation.

Gonzalez argues lawmakers can’t sensibly regulate crypto without trying it. He experimented with DeFi using a small amount of ETH (and donated proceeds), learning more than reading white papers alone—especially around gas fees and tax complexity.

Committees are where most real governing happens.

He emphasizes hearings and committee negotiations as the locus of expertise and bipartisan deal-making. A small “informed minority” on committees often educates and pulls along the broader membership for complex policy areas like crypto.

Durable legislation requires bipartisan and bicameral design from day one.

Gonzalez’s playbook is to identify aligned members by listening closely during hearings, then co-write bills with cross-party partners. Without that, bills may pass the House as messaging and die in the Senate.

Crypto regulation should follow an early-internet ‘do no harm’ posture.

He cites the Clinton-era approach to the internet—tolerate early weirdness, target obvious harms, and avoid suffocating innovation before understanding it. He fears a heavier-handed executive/SEC approach absent clear congressional signals.

Stablecoins are the most actionable ‘first bite’ for crypto policy.

After Terra/Luna, Congress better grasps the difference between fiat-backed and algorithmic stablecoins. He favors defining and regulating ‘payment stablecoins’ (reserves, audits, redemptions, consumer protections) while being cautious/silent on algos until clearer classification emerges.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

I always say, when I look at my own background, I'm like, 'None of this makes any sense.'

— Anthony Gonzalez

If you wanna be knowledgeable in the space, like, you should at least have some sort of feel for it.

— Anthony Gonzalez

Committees are where the real work happens.

— Anthony Gonzalez

My view is the best legislation is durable, and in order for something to be durable, it needs to be bipartisan, and it should be bicameral.

— Anthony Gonzalez

I think we should look to the Clinton administration for how they handled the early internet... 'Do no harm.'

— Anthony Gonzalez

Cuban immigrant family history and Northeast Ohio identityStartup-style campaign building: customer interviews, fundraising dashboardsJanuary 6 experience and second impeachment rationaleHow committees work: hearings, coalition-building, durable legislationCrypto policy: “do no harm,” stablecoins first, SEC vs Congress tensionInfrastructure bill “crypto broker” provision and policy-by-Christmas-treeMeme stocks, settlement time (T+2 to T+1), and missed bipartisan reformsNIL in college sports and unintended consequences of state-by-state rulesAmerican dynamism vs authoritarianism; primaries and political incentivesIndustrial policy: CHIPS Act, reshoring, clean steel and long-horizon R&D

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