Is XRP Ledger Centralized? Justin Bons Sparks Fresh Crypto Debate

[kevin1]

A heated debate has erupted in the crypto community after Justin Bons, founder and CIO of Cyber Capital, labeled the XRP Ledger as “centralized.” In a post on X, Bons argued that XRPL’s Unique Node List (UNL) structure effectively makes its validators permissioned, claiming that divergence from the published list could trigger a fork and give excessive influence to Ripple. He framed decentralization as binary — either fully permissionless or not — and criticized networks he believes fall short of crypto’s trustless ethos.

Bons also grouped XRPL alongside other networks he considers insufficiently decentralized, arguing that any system not based on Proof of Work or Proof of Stake defaults to Proof of Authority. In his view, “choosing who we trust is not the same as trustlessness.” His comments have reignited broader philosophical questions within crypto: Is decentralization a spectrum, or an absolute standard that blockchains must fully meet to stay true to the industry’s original mission?

[ed]

oh cool so if i don't use proof of work i'm suddenly an authoritarian? better tell my boss my work schedule is too centralized