Hi Steemit! I'm Morty and this is my introduction.

Hi! I'm Morty (although that's not my real name, and R&M fans probably picked that up pretty quickly). For professional and other reasons, I'd rather remain anonymous at this point, but am excited to be a part of the Steemit community.

I am a technology/payments attorney in the United States that was first introduced to crypto (more specifically, bitcoin) through work (you could see how working at the intersection of technology and payments could lead to such a thing).

Admittedly, I wasn't immediately sold on bitcoin and cryptocurrency. The culture largely conflicts with the nature of being an attorney - risk averse and attentive to regulations. However, now I truly do believe blockchain is the biggest thing in technology since the internet (and in some ways could be bigger) and will change the world. I represent several blockchain companies and am an avid consumer of information and knowledge relating to blockchain and cryptocurrency. I am currently advising a few clients on ICOs and other blockchain initiatives, and it is by far the most exciting aspect of my job right now.

I hope to be able to contribute to the community in a number of ways, including by leveraging my experience and knowledge relating to blockchain from a legal perspective. From a legal perspective, it's a fascinating and exciting wild west where there is very little certainty in a number of areas with respect to how existing laws apply to this innovative new technology and what future regulations may come (both enabling and restrictive). I am hopeful that regulators will allow blockchain technology to have an opportunity to flourish without significant regulation (like they largely did with the Internet), but also understand why crypto may need to be regulated when used as a currency, security, etc. (sorry if this rubs anyone the wrong way - I know this isn't always popular in the crypto community). As the application of the existing regulatory framework becomes clearer and new regulations are introduced, hopefully you and I can learn from each other on their implications for the community.

As a transactional attorney, I am also interested in how smart contracts (and other blockchain-enabled innovations) may be used to alter the way attorneys operate. I'm currently leading an initiative at our firm to look into ways we can leverage blockchain technology to improve and expand upon the services we provide to all kinds of clients. I also have finally convinced our very traditional accounting department that they shouldn't be scared to accept bitcoin as payment and that, in fact, it could greatly lower their transaction fees. That being said, it'll probably be another 5 years before they agree to accept ether or other crypto, but I take the wins I can get.

I have also waded into the waters on crypto investment and trading, and look forward to using Steemit as a place to learn for that purpose as well. Prior to the emergence of blockchain, my investment philosophy had largely revolved around a thesis that technology would take over the world (specifically if/when AGI is created). The emergence of blockchain has me now questioning whether major tech companies will even be able to survive now that there is a technology that can largely displace their role in the digital ecosystem and return control and economic benefit to the masses.

I guess that's it for now. I'm excited to be a part of Steemit and look forward to interacting with you all! Feel free to reach out with any questions and I can try to answer them.