Broken Promises
"Progressive Decentralization" - the crypto industry's favorite excuse for staying centralized.
The Playbook: In January 2020, the concept of "Progressive Decentralization" was coined - a 3-stage model where startups launch centralized, then "exit to the community." Five years later, most projects remain at Stage 1.
Disclaimer: This page documents publicly stated roadmaps and their current status based on observable data. "Broken" indicates a stated timeline has passed without delivery - not accusations of intent. Project structures evolve. This is educational analysis, not financial advice. Submit corrections with evidence.
🤥 BROKEN (14)
| Project | Promise | Date | Reality (2024/25) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arbitrum(ARB) | "Decentralized sequencer coming" | 2022-2023 | Single Sequencer run by Offchain Labs |
| Optimism(OP) | "Progressive decentralization" | 2022 | Single Sequencer, "timelines remain fluid" |
| Uniswap(UNI) | "Community Governance" | Sept 2020 | Top holders control majority voting power |
| Solana(SOL) | "Validator distribution" | 2021 | Foundation Delegation Controls, Validator Count -68% since March 2024 |
| Hyperliquid(HYPE) | "Decentralized perp DEX" | 2024 | 5 Foundation Validators = 81% Stake |
| Compound(COMP) | "Decentralized governance" | 2020 | Top holders dominate all governance votes |
| Aave(AAVE) | "DAO governance" | 2020 | Top 3 voters control 58% of voting power |
| Polygon(POL) | "Community-driven development" | 2021 | Polygon Labs appears to maintain significant control |
| Avalanche(AVAX) | "Decentralized validator network" | 2020 | Ava Labs dominates development and direction |
| Near(NEAR) | "Progressive decentralization" | 2020 | NEAR Foundation appears to maintain significant control |
| Bittensor(TAO) | "Fair launch, no VC, no premine" | 2021 | Incubated by Polychain 2019. DCG largest holder (2.4% supply). 4 funding rounds on Crunchbase. |
| Internet Computer(ICP) | "Decentralized compute" | 2021 | DFINITY appears to maintain significant control, governance voting shows limited practical impact |
| Tron(TRX) | "Decentralized internet" | 2017 | Founder appears to maintain dominant control |
| XRP(XRP) | "Decentralized payments" | 2012 | Ripple controls UNL, escrow, and 55B XRP |
⏳ PENDING (3)
| Project | Promise | Date | Reality (2024/25) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starknet(STRK) | "Decentralization Roadmap 2025" | 2023 | Still centralized sequencer, deadline approaching |
| Hedera(HBAR) | "Phase 3: Permissionless nodes" | 2020 | 5 years later, still only Council can run nodes |
| Ethereum(ETH) | "World computer" | 2015 | Partially delivered. EF influence remains, but improving. |
✅ DELIVERED (2)
| Project | Promise | Date | Reality (2024/25) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin(BTC) | "Peer-to-peer electronic cash" | 2009 | Delivered. Satoshi disappeared. Truly decentralized. |
| Monero(XMR) | "Private, decentralized money" | 2014 | Delivered. No foundation, community-driven. |
🤷 NEVER PROMISED (3)
| Project | Promise | Date | Reality (2024/25) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tether(USDT) | "N/A - Never claimed decentralization" | - | Centralized stablecoin. At least they're honest. |
| USDC(USDC) | "N/A - Never claimed decentralization" | - | Centralized stablecoin. Regulated, still centralized. |
| BNB Chain(BNB) | "N/A - Binance Chain" | - | It's Binance's chain. Always was. |
“Progressive decentralization is just centralization
with a roadmap to nowhere.”
The Pattern
- 1.Launch centralized - "For speed and security"
- 2.Promise decentralization - "It's on the roadmap"
- 3.Raise billions - VCs love "decentralized" narratives
- 4.Never deliver - "Timelines remain fluid"
- 5.Repeat - New promises, same centralization
How to Spot the Pattern
- • "We'll decentralize once we scale" - They won't
- • "Security requires temporary centralization" - Permanent
- • "Decentralization roadmap coming soon" - It's been years
- • "Community governance" + VC majority stake - Theater
- • "Progressive decentralization" without dates - Never
Know more broken promises? Submit a Pull Request