Perfect decentralization is near impossible for any DePIN that wants real Web2-level performance. The question now is how the trade-offs are handled. Storj keeps the actual data pieces on independent nodes. Everything else (metadata, node selection, audits, repairs, access, and payments) runs through a small set of Satellites controlled mainly by Storj Labs. Node rewards are paid by the company, not settled on-chain. If Storj Labs fails, both payments and users’ ability to reach their data are at risk, even while the storage nodes stay online. The architecture is much closer to a web2 system than to a trust-minimized protocol. The Chapter 11 filing simply makes that dependency obvious. If projects were ranked by real utility and solid architecture, the CMC list would look very different.