StarkWare CEO Doubles Down: ‘Only Decentralized Blockchains Will Thrive
StarkWare CEO Warns – Eli Ben-Sasson, co-founder and CEO of StarkWare, has doubled down on his belief that corporate-controlled blockchains have no long-term future. In a post to X on Monday, Ben-Sasson argued that blockchains must eliminate centralized control to remain true to their core philosophy.
“The important element of blockchain is a system that gets rid of a central entity,” Ben-Sasson emphasized. “Even with account abstraction (AA) to improve UX, the underlying tech remains highly complex.”
His comments come amid the growing emergence of so-called “corpo chains”, including Stripe’s new Layer-1 blockchain, Tempo, which some community members have viewed with skepticism.
Short-Term Gains, Long-Term Headaches?
While Ben-Sasson acknowledged that corporate blockchains could aid mainstream adoption in the short term, he remains convinced that these efforts will eventually lose steam. As user demand shifts toward DeFi, self-custody, and asset control, he believes corpo chains will struggle to remain relevant.
“Fast forward a few years: Corporate chains will end up with complex tech but without the added value for users,” he predicted. “At that point, these chains will lose the focus from corporates.”
He added that if user uptake remains low, corporations may simply abandon their blockchain projects due to technical complexity and limited benefit.
Crypto Community Remains Divided
Reactions across X show a divided sentiment. One user claimed corporations are embracing blockchain out of FOMO, not necessity:
“Not every project in crypto needs a blockchain,” they argued.
Others, like Sova Labs CEO Rob Masiello, believe corpo chains will succeed — but primarily for the benefit of the corporations themselves.
“Users just won’t have any way to participate in their upside,” he noted, citing Base as an example.
Some speculated corporations might pivot, acquiring existing chains or eventually decentralizing their blockchain infrastructure.
