Andre Cronje exposes SEC harassment behind DeFi exit

Andre Cronje, founder of Sonic, has revealed that his departure from the decentralised finance (DeFi) sector in 2022 was primarily due to relentless harassment from the SEC.

In a recent blog post, Cronje detailed the escalating pressure he faced from the regulatory body, which targeted him despite his non-U.S. citizenship and minimal business ties to the country.

He described how the SEC began with simple inquiries about his projects but quickly escalated their demands, leading to a significant drain on his time and resources.

“The letters kept coming, every time pivoting to a new angle of attack,” Cronje explained, noting that this harassment forced him to halt development on his projects.

After two years of dealing with these pressures, he ultimately decided to step away from the industry, stating that the constant scrutiny left him with little energy to contribute meaningfully to open-source initiatives.

Despite stepping back, Cronje maintained a passion for the crypto space and continued to support various projects behind the scenes.

With a change in SEC leadership in 2025, he feels more comfortable sharing his experiences, noting a shift towards a more crypto-friendly regulatory approach.

Previously, he had been warned against going public with his struggles due to potential repercussions from investigators.