Thread
@JackRonaldi 1/X
DYOR, but fwiw, here are my biggest concerns (there are many more) with LN:
DYOR, but fwiw, here are my biggest concerns (there are many more) with LN:
@JackRonaldi 2/X
Custodialization
No matter what the maxis say, unless you are running your own LN node, you are using LN in a custodial manner, relying on the payment channels of a wallet custodian. You are not truly in control of your funds.
Custodialization
No matter what the maxis say, unless you are running your own LN node, you are using LN in a custodial manner, relying on the payment channels of a wallet custodian. You are not truly in control of your funds.
@JackRonaldi 3/X
Centralization
LN is centralized by necessity. It simply cannot scale without the formation of massive centralized liquidity hubs. This is the antithesis to everything Bitcoin represents...
Centralization
LN is centralized by necessity. It simply cannot scale without the formation of massive centralized liquidity hubs. This is the antithesis to everything Bitcoin represents...
@JackRonaldi 4/X
This is due to the "NP-hard" complexity of the "traveling salesman problem". It is near impossible to find the "best" route for a transaction without using centralized liquidity hubs for the vast majority of transactions.
This is due to the "NP-hard" complexity of the "traveling salesman problem". It is near impossible to find the "best" route for a transaction without using centralized liquidity hubs for the vast majority of transactions.
@JackRonaldi 5/X
LN fees
Further, with LN becoming so dependent on massive centralized payment hubs, you can be confident that as they gain more and more control over the network, these hubs will charge greater and greater fees.
LN fees
Further, with LN becoming so dependent on massive centralized payment hubs, you can be confident that as they gain more and more control over the network, these hubs will charge greater and greater fees.
@JackRonaldi 6/X
BTC fees: probably the most significant problem
As BTC block rewards become negligible, and miners become solely dependent on fees for profitability, the vast majority of users will be priced out of funding or closing LN channels. They will never be able to settle.
BTC fees: probably the most significant problem
As BTC block rewards become negligible, and miners become solely dependent on fees for profitability, the vast majority of users will be priced out of funding or closing LN channels. They will never be able to settle.
@JackRonaldi 7/X
Throughput
No matter how efficient LN is, it is still bottlenecked by BTC's throughput for funding or closing channels. This means that LN will never be able to open/settle more than 4-7 channels per second, which simply isn't enough to power a global currency.
Throughput
No matter how efficient LN is, it is still bottlenecked by BTC's throughput for funding or closing channels. This means that LN will never be able to open/settle more than 4-7 channels per second, which simply isn't enough to power a global currency.
@JackRonaldi 8/X
Failed transactions
Due to the complexity mentioned above, it is quite common for LN transactions to fail entirely, especially for reasonably large transactions.
Failed transactions
Due to the complexity mentioned above, it is quite common for LN transactions to fail entirely, especially for reasonably large transactions.
@JackRonaldi 9/X
Like I said, there are many more problems that I haven't gone into, and you should absolutely do your own research on the subject. But from everything I understand, LN is essentially a non-starter full of hope and false promises.
Like I said, there are many more problems that I haven't gone into, and you should absolutely do your own research on the subject. But from everything I understand, LN is essentially a non-starter full of hope and false promises.
