$WAL One thing people don’t talk enough about is how scalability can actually be a problem. Everyone wants networks to grow, more users, more data, more activity. But the funny part is, growth can quietly centralize a network without people even noticing.
As networks get bigger, you need more nodes. But those nodes also start scaling, holding more stake, more power. Slowly, the biggest ones end up controlling more of what happens. Nobody plans it, but it just happens over time.
Decentralization doesn’t maintain itself automatically. It needs to be designed on purpose. That’s something Walrus clearly understood from the beginning. The whole system was built to fight that natural pull towards centralization as the network grows.
First is spreading out power.
Token holders don’t just dump stake into one massive node. They delegate to independent storage nodes, which helps distribute stake across many operators. This way no single party can decide what data stays or disappears. Censorship becomes much harder when control is spread out like this.
Then there’s rewarding performance, not size.
Nodes earn WAL based on real, verifiable uptime and reliability. Not because they are famous or big. A smaller node that actually does its job well can compete with the giants. That keeps the network more balanced and fair.
Another important part is holding nodes accountable.
If a node starts performing badly or tries something shady, it loses stake. Simple as that. This makes power hoarding risky and discourages anyone from trying to control too much of the network.
Walrus also focuses on preventing power grabs.
You can’t just move stake around fast without consequences. There are penalties for that, which stops groups from coordinating last-minute moves during voting or attacks. It slows down manipulation when it matters most.
And finally, governing collectively.
Token holders control the key parameters of the network. Decisions don’t sit with a small group behind closed doors. As participation grows, governance stays distributed, not centralized.
So yeah, scaling without losing decentralization is hard. But Walrus shows that if you design for it from the start, you don’t have to sacrifice one for the other.