Single Point of Failure Analysis
What's the ONE thing that could kill each project? Person, company, foundation, or infrastructure.
Disclaimer: This analysis is based on publicly available data and documentation. It is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. All assessments represent our methodology's output based on observable data, not accusations. Project structures may change. Submit corrections with evidence.
5
No SPOF
4
Limited
26
Single
8
Multiple
○ No SPOF Identified (5)
| Project | Score | SPOF Type | Primary Dependency | Dependency Scenario |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin(BTC) | 7.8 | None | - | Unkillable |
| Monero(XMR) | 6.6 | None | - | Unkillable |
| Dogecoin(DOGE) | 6.3 | None | - | Unkillable |
| Bitcoin Cash(BCH) | 6.4 | None | - | Unkillable |
| Litecoin(LTC) | 6.3 | None | - | Unkillable |
△ Limited Dependency (4)
| Project | Score | SPOF Type | Primary Dependency | Dependency Scenario |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaspa(KAS) | 6.0 | None | Small dev team | Survivable via open source |
| Polkadot(DOT) | 5.3 | Person | Founder | Vision lost, but Substrate survives |
| Ethereum(ETH) | 5.6 | Person | Founder (social influence) | Survives, loses direction |
| Ethereum Classic(ETC) | 5.8 | None | Small community | Survives as zombie chain |
● Single Dependency (26)
| Project | Score | SPOF Type | Primary Dependency | Dependency Scenario |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmos Hub(ATOM) | 4.2 | Foundation | Cosmos Labs (2025) centralized | Validators: "excessive centralization". SDK survives, Hub fragile |
| Zcash(ZEC) | 4.8 | Foundation | ZF only (ECC resigned Jan 2026) | Redundancy collapsed - ECC team left, now building cashZ independently |
| Uniswap(UNI) | 4.3 | Protocol | Immutable contracts | Labs gone = frontend gone, forks possible |
| DAI(DAI) | 4.4 | Protocol | USDC collateral risk | Issuer freeze = DAI destabilized |
| Aave(AAVE) | 3.6 | Person | Founder | Survivable, governance exists |
| Lido(LDO) | 4.1 | Protocol | Ethereum-dependent | ETH dies = Lido dies |
| Algorand(ALGO) | 4.1 | Multiple | Foundation + Permissioned Relays | Relays permissioned, 63% Foundation stake until 2025. Foundation exit = dead |
| Filecoin(FIL) | 5.6 | Company | Protocol Labs | Labs gone = slow death |
| Cardano(ADA) | 5.4 | Multiple | Founder + Single Client | Founder-dependent |
| NEAR Protocol(NEAR) | 4.3 | Foundation | NEAR Foundation | Foundation gone = dead |
| Sui(SUI) | 3.0 | Company | Mysten Labs + Halt capability | Nov 2024: 2h halt. 84% insider-staked. Labs gone = dead |
| TON(TON) | 3.6 | Foundation | TON Foundation | Post-Telegram, but fragile |
| Aptos(APT) | 3.4 | Company | Aptos Labs | Labs gone = dead |
| Avalanche(AVAX) | 3.6 | Company | Ava Labs + Halt capability | Feb 2024: 5h halt. Labs controls everything. Labs gone = dead |
| Chainlink(LINK) | 4.2 | Multiple | Founder + Labs | Founder leaves = project fragile |
| Injective(INJ) | 3.3 | Company | Injective Labs | Labs gone = dead |
| Fetch.ai(FET) | 3.6 | Company | Fetch.ai Ltd | ASI Alliance-dependent, Labs gone = dead |
| Polygon(POL) | 3.3 | Company | Polygon Labs + Halt capability | Multiple halts (11h 2022, 1h+10h 2024). NC=4. Labs gone = dead |
| Stellar(XLM) | 2.9 | Foundation | SDF (35% supply) | SDF exit = collapse |
| Arbitrum(ARB) | 2.7 | Infrastructure | Centralized Sequencer | Sequencer down = L2 down |
| Solana(SOL) | 3.7 | Multiple | Foundation + Halt capability | 7+ coordinated halts, 50h+ downtime since 2020 |
| Internet Computer(ICP) | 3.0 | Company | DFINITY | DFINITY gone = instant death |
| XRP(XRP) | 2.5 | Company | Ripple Labs | Ripple gone = dead |
| Virtuals Protocol(VIRTUAL) | 2.9 | Company | Virtuals Team | Team gone = dead, Base-dependent |
| Render Network(RENDER) | 3.3 | Foundation | Render Foundation + RenderLabs | Foundation/Labs gone = network stalls |
| Figure / Provenance(FIGR_HELOC) | 3.0 | Company | Figure Technologies (57.7% stake) | Figure controls 57.7% HASH, 64 validators. Enterprise blockchain. Figure exit = dead. |
◆ Multiple Dependencies + Halt Capability (8)
| Project | Score | SPOF Type | Primary Dependency | Dependency Scenario |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bittensor(TAO) | 1.0 | Multiple | Opentensor + Halt capability | July 2024: Network halted ("safe mode"). Foundation-dependent. |
| Hedera(HBAR) | 1.0 | Foundation | Council (39 corps) | Council dissolves = dead |
| Hyperliquid(HYPE) | 1.0 | Foundation | Foundation (58% stake) | High exit risk based on stake concentration |
| Tron(TRX) | 1.0 | Person | Founder | Founder exits = dead |
| BNB Chain(BNB) | 1.0 | Company | Binance | Binance closed = dead |
| Tether(USDT) | 1.0 | Company | Tether Ltd (iFinex) | Bank run = dead |
| USD Coin(USDC) | 1.0 | Company | Circle | Regulated, but centralized |
| USD1(USD1) | 1.0 | Multiple | BitGo Trust + Trump Political Risk | Can freeze addresses. BitGo custody risk. Trump regulatory risk. |
Classification Criteria
5 of 43 projects show no identifiable single point of failure based on available data. Common characteristics observed:
- 1.Proof of Work consensus - Permissionless participation
- 2.No premine or insider allocation - Open distribution
- 3.No centralized halt capability - No admin controls
- 4.Multiple independent implementations - Client diversity
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