Is Solana really decentralized if it wants to 'wean off' small nodes?
The Solana Foundation has announced it will stop supporting validators holding less than 1,000 SOL, with approximately 150 validators being directly affected. If the support is fully withdrawn, up to 900 nodes may be forced to shut down.
The official statement is: to promote self-sufficiency and strengthen decentralization.
But the reality is that small validators have already seen a sharp decline in income, dropping from $15.9 million at the beginning of the year to just $1.3 million now. Without the foundation's delegated staking, more than half of the validators may not be able to sustain operations.
The upside is: healthier network governance with less centralized intervention;
The downside is: small nodes being eliminated, resulting in actual validation power potentially becoming more concentrated.
In terms of price, if SOL bulls cannot hold the $150 mark, there will be significant pullback pressure. Although whale positions remain strong, the overall market still needs BTC to surge to $100,000 to boost confidence.
This is the growing pain for Solana towards maturity; the path to decentralization is not easy. If it truly wants to be independent, it must first ensure its survival.
