While many strive to be pioneers in their fields, few can say they are breaking new ground in not just one, but two industries. Linda Selker is one of those few. Linda Selkeris poised at the intersection of emerging technology and frontiers of law. She is part engineer, part lawyer, but above all, she is an adaptive leader and inquisitive lifetime student. Currently VP – Head of Legal at Quantstamp, Inc., Linda champions Quantstamp’s mission to enable trust and security in the blockchain and smart contract ecosystem.
Linda’s road to the edge of tech and legal innovation has been years in the making. Linda most recently transitioned from being VP/AGC at Visa where she spent over a decade. Previously, she was an in-house attorney at Hewlett-Packard and Accenture and in private practice at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. She has a J.D. from Georgetown, a Master’s in Engineering from Cornell, and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering/Computer Science from UC Berkeley.
Linda has valuable advice to share on career pivots, the blockchain industry, and everything in between.
Be curious and try the technology or talk to someone who knows the space.
This is especially applicable to the blockchain industry, says Linda. “I am passionate about technologies that can change how people interact on a daily basis. When I can, I like to experience using new technologies firsthand while analyzing how different areas of law may (or will) govern throughout the user experience, platform operation, or product lifecycle,” she adds. Linda analyzes the user experience from a consumer perspective. She explains, “I ask myself how I can use this technology in my everyday life and how can it be better to make my life better.”
Over the last few years, she enjoyed working with payment form factors as they have transformed from plastic cards to mobile, ecommerce and peer-to-peer platforms. Years before that, she was inspired by pioneers in integrated circuits and solid-state memory technologies. “These now allow each of us, and even our children, to harness computing power and memory in our backpacks, pockets or on wearables,” Linda says.
What piques Linda’s curiosity now? “Today, I am excited about the potential of smart contracts and how blockchain technology can even further extend horizons for more convenient, personal, inclusive, portable, and expedient user experiences in virtual, decentralized commerce ecosystem without borders.” Curiosity is an important factor when you’re trying to innovate on new ground.
Keep an open mind and adapt.
Linda recommends flexibility when it comes to pioneering new technologies. “Laws, regulations, and their enforcement often evolve at a delayed pace compared to technology,” she explains. “Statutes written with brick-and-mortar business in mind do not apply in a straightforward manner to our evolving, virtual, decentralized operations and flows.”
How does Linda keep up? It’s a matter of learning to think — and ask questions — ahead of the game. “It’s not an easy task to predict how laws will apply to an emerging technology,” she says. “A perennial question to ask is: What should I know that I have not thought to ask?”
Remember the underlying fundamentals and look towards the overall mission.
When you’re working a new and rapidly evolving field, many uncertainties can make it difficult to understand the full picture — especially for risk-averse lawyers. Linda recommends prioritizing the overall long-term mission of your organization. “The future is uncertain but we cannot always wait to make decisions, provide counsel or take action,” she explains.
By viewing everything through the lens of an overall mission, you can ask yourself questions that matter. For example, Linda makes sure to ask herself: “Which interests are most critical to protect for long-term sustainability? How can we design a structure to protect those interests? Are we still achieving the original (or maybe an enhanced) goal?”
Life at the intersection of legal and blockchain requires many skills — but it’s satisfying.
Linda has no lack of praise for daily life in her new role. “I am part of a close team. Given our size, many of us have unstructured roles and wear multiple hats. We are agile, thriving, and learning as we go,” she says. Linda finds the work unpredictable, but highly satisfying.
Blockchain is a young field, which means that those who enter now have the opportunity to make early, lasting impact on the entire industry. “I never know what each day or week will bring in terms of the business opportunity, product sprint, problem to solve or legal areas to consider,” adds Linda. “Each project is concentrated and fast-paced but I can see my direct impact.”
Ultimately, however, Linda credits her team for their part in her new role. “It is an ongoing adventure and growth opportunity with compatriots sharing the experience,” she explains. “When we all pull our oars together, the result is magical!”
Go ahead and make the jump to blockchain!
Ultimately, Linda definitely recommends the jump to the blockchain industry. When asked to distill her advice into five points, she shared: “Be inquisitive. Embrace the unexpected. Be resilient and constant to a purpose. Enjoy the journey. Be yourself.” These five principles are key to anyone seeking to join the exciting blockchain industry, but they also apply to anyone daring to make a career pivot, as Linda did.
Olga V. Mack is a blockchain strategist, public speaker, and adjunct professor at Berkeley Law. She is Vice President of Strategy at Quantstamp, the first decentralized security auditing blockchain platform. Most recently, she served as General Counsel at ClearSlide and she has held legal and operational roles at Visa, Zoosk, Pacific Art League, Wilson Sonsini, and Yahoo. Olga founded the Women Serve on Boards movement that advocates for women to serve on the corporate boards of Fortune 500 companies. You can email Olga at olga@olgamack.com or follow her on Twitter @olgavmack.
