I agree that PoS (due to its consensus algorithm being weighted toward stake) can be compromised by billionaires…but I’d counter that it’s also the best system we currently have. Can you honestly tell me that USD has a fair allocation? With that in mind, PoS is Far better than the centralized technologies you seem to be defending by attacking the one alternative.

If the engineers behind non-scam projects (that actually seek to revolutionize currency and wrestle control from the world bank) could accomplish one person one vote, they would…but the network game theory is run by that same principle: that it would be impossible for anyone but Jeff Bezos to compromise a sufficiently valuable cryptocurrency just as it would be cost prohibitive for Bezos to afford enough bitcoin mining rigs to give him control of the network.

Luckily there are actual metrics that help us pinpoint those kinds of compromised technologies (especially in regards to Proof of Stake). Personally, when vetting a Proof of Stake crypto, I like to look at “initial token allocation” as well and other metrics that help to quantify how decentralized they really are. How many unique wallets are there? What does their consensus algorithm look like? How easy it is for me to run a stake pool? Do I need a super computer (Solana)? Does it prevent that sort of centralization using game theory?

Just a small example of how you’re glossing over some fairly elegant engineering that enforces decentralization: Cardano has invented some pretty revolutionary ideas in this area. They have all kinds of added parameters that prevent one actor from controlling the network. When the algorithm is selecting the next pool to mine a block, a pool that has more than a certain amount of the token is disqualified for having TOO MUCH stake. It’s called “saturation”. I could go on and on about the technologies that aid decentralization and make it AT LEAST significantly more decentralized than any other system we currently know of but I’m sure you won’t even read it.

Initial token allocation, for one, is such an important metric for understanding decentralization. If a small group of insiders has the most tokens, the decentralization of the network is compromised. That’s why, when I look at a cryptocurrency that uses Proof of Stake, I always look to that before doing anything. It helped me to avoid FTX, Luna, Solana, and other crypto’s where a small group of insiders was given more than 25% of the tokens in the network before the public was even allowed to receive airdrops (which are a way of making sure that that one person, one vote principle stands at that crucial stage where the tokens are dispersed into the market).

edit: further reading about the most academically/game theoretically rigorous open source implementation of Proof of Stake called Ourobouros , created by the Cardano team but also adopted by the Polkadot team.