Crypto Mom" clocks out: Hester Peirce resigns Oct. 2, SEC seat left unfilled like a cold wallet

SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce has formally resigned from the US Securities and Exchange Commission, effective Oct. 2, ending an approximately eight-year tenure marked by her public advocacy for clear, rules-based oversight of the crypto industry. Peirce, widely known as "Crypto Mom," posted a copy of her resignation letter on her X account Friday, calling her service at the agency "the honor of her professional lifetime" and stating she was departing under the leadership of SEC Chairman Paul Atkins and Commissioner Mark Uyeda, the commission's two remaining members and both Republicans. Her term officially expired in June 2025, but under SEC rules commissioners may continue to serve up to approximately 18 months after their terms expire if not replaced.

Since Feb. 4, 2025, Peirce has also served as director of the SEC's Crypto Task Force, which has examined how existing securities laws apply to digital assets and decentralized systems. In June, Peirce said publishing open-source code should not subject software developers to federal securities regulations, a position aligned with what Atkins has described as the agency's shift away from "regulation by enforcement." Since President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, the SEC has dropped several enforcement actions and investigations into crypto companies, including matters tied to Trump and his family.

Cointelegraph reported in May that Peirce is set to join Regent University School of Law in Virginia as an associate professor in November, where she is expected to help bolster academic focus in federal litigation, securities regulation and digital assets. Her seat at the SEC may not be filled immediately; former Democratic Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw departed in January, 18 months after her term ended, and Trump has not nominated a successor to that seat.