[ensignavenger]

But if the managers of the mining pools were to do anything too overt, those who contribute computing power to them could (and probably would) quickly pull their support. At least in theory.

[thomasbk]

Those who contribute share in the profits of the pool! Most things that are in the interest of the pool are in the interest of the miners.

Also, as hardware gets more specialized, the cost to entry gets higher and power concentrates.

[jaibot]

This is also how fiat currency works. Which is all well and good.