Security is a leadership problem

Duration: NaN:NaN:NaN

Speaker: Josselin Feist

Type: Talk

Expertise: No prior knowledge

Event: Devcon

Date: Nov 2026

Blockchain security discussions usually focus on finding bugs, improving audits, or building better tools. Yet many major incidents stem from risks that were already known before deployment. This talk argues that security is not only a property of code, but also of the decisions made throughout the development process. Drawing from nearly a decade of reviewing DeFi protocols, L1s, L2s, bridges, and infrastructure, it examines recurring patterns behind security failures: mispriced risk, unclear ownership, pressure to ship, and architectural decisions that create long-term security debt. The goal is to help engineers better understand the trade-offs leaders face when making security decisions, and help leaders recognize how those decisions influence the security of their systems.