Solana vs Ethereum: Anatoly Yakovenko Sparks New Decentralization Debate

Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko has once again ignited a heated debate over blockchain decentralization, claiming that Solana may now be more decentralized than Ethereum—and possibly even Bitcoin. In a recent social media post, Yakovenko argued that Solana is “closer to Satoshi’s levels of decentralization than Ethereum,” suggesting the high-performance blockchain could have surpassed its largest competitors in distributed network strength.

The bold statement quickly drew reactions across the crypto community, especially given Solana’s history of network outages and technical disruptions. Critics have often pointed to these downtimes as evidence that the Solana network is less decentralized than rivals like Ethereum or Bitcoin. However, Yakovenko countered this narrative by emphasizing Solana’s node accessibility and hardware requirements.

According to Yakovenko, anyone can run a Solana node—even on a laptop—highlighting the availability of light clients and non-voting nodes. These allow users to independently verify the blockchain ledger without operating industrial-grade servers. This capability, he suggests, reinforces Solana’s decentralized infrastructure and reduces reliance on centralized intermediaries.

Yakovenko has consistently defended Solana’s decentralization model. In late 2025, he argued that decentralization in proof-of-stake (PoS) networks does not necessarily depend on token distribution. He stated that a properly designed PoS blockchain can remain sufficiently decentralized regardless of stake concentration or ownership structure. Previously, he also noted that running a permissionless full node is enough to participate in the network securely, without the risk of funds being controlled by a centralized security council or multisig arrangement.

As competition among major blockchains intensifies, the debate between Solana, Ethereum, and Bitcoin over decentralization standards continues to evolve. Yakovenko’s remarks are likely to fuel further discussions about node distribution, hardware accessibility, and what true decentralization means in modern crypto ecosystems.