TechFlow reports that on February 28, THORChain core developer Pluto announced his immediate departure from the project, concluding four years of contributions. Pluto stated he will continue supporting Nine Realms to ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities. Meanwhile, community member TCB also indicated he would exit if THORChain does not swiftly implement solutions to block North Korean fund flows.
TCB pointed out a disconnect between the community's ideals and the project's actual operations, saying, "For a long time, those responsible for communication and those maintaining the network have held different views." TCB questioned THORChain's level of decentralization, arguing that THORChain's infrastructure and user traffic are primarily controlled by a small group of participants, making true decentralization and censorship resistance difficult to achieve. "The company running the development team is a U.S. entity, the developers are mostly American, and they are also the largest infrastructure providers. Other major infrastructure providers are also North Americans."
TCB warned that when a significant portion of fund flows consists of stolen funds originating from North Korea, it becomes a national security issue. "To achieve credible decentralization, you need a network of over 1,000 unique validators." He noted that competitor Chainflip has already rapidly addressed similar issues at the network level, with all frontends implementing censorship measures.
