Decentralized storage isn’t a technical challenge first — it’s an economic one.
You can design the best protocol in the world, but if incentives reward short-term behavior, the network degrades over time. Walrus flips this by structuring $WAL around long-term participation.
Providers aren’t paid for simply joining. They’re paid for uptime, redundancy, and honest service. That changes behavior. It encourages operators to invest in stability rather than quick exits.
Users benefit because access becomes predictable. Developers benefit because infrastructure stops behaving like an experiment. The token becomes a coordination tool, not a speculative attachment.
Governance through $WAL also matters. Protocol parameters and upgrades are shaped by participants who are economically exposed to the network’s future. That alignment is rare — and necessary.
Walrus treats storage as a service that must endure. When incentives match that goal, decentralization stops being fragile and starts becoming durable.
