Open Source Summit North America 2022

Blockchain is being increasingly adopted as the trust infrastructure for critical systems around the world. At its core, a blockchain serves as an information store with decentralized trust: even if some constant fraction of participants in a blockchain act maliciously, the blockchain will still retain its ability to be a truthful store of information. This decentralization is blockchain’s main advantage and usefulness over traditional databases. But how decentralized are major blockchain systems today? What do the consensus algorithms underlying blockchain security imply about decentralization? How must governance and development of blockchains be done to maximize effective decentralization as well? In this talk, I will explain the core relationship between decentralized trust and blockchain in a way that relates to both cryptocurrencies and permissioned blockchain systems like those built with Hyperledger technologies. I will explain how blockchain governance typically works (also in a decentralized manner!) with a variety of examples. Finally, I will explain why fully open source development processes are the only way to ensure proper decentralization of blockchains and how we go about these processes in the Hyperledger Foundation.