Ledger’s Shock Move: Why Cutting Nano S Support Could Destroy Its Throne

The Fall of a Trusted King

Ledger Nano S wasn’t just a hardware wallet—it was the bedrock of self-custody in crypto. Launched in 2016, it sold over 1.5 million units at $79 each, becoming the de facto standard for cold storage. Unlike smartphones, its security lifecycle wasn’t tied to quarterly releases but to cryptographic integrity: air-gapped, open-source, and immutable.

The Quiet Betrayal

Last month, Ledger announced the end of Nano S support—not due to technical limits (320KB memory), but because business priorities shifted to profit-driven upgrades. They framed this as ‘progress.’ But users didn’t upgrade—they endured.

A Closed Ecosystem Problem

Nano S ran on open protocols: Bitcoin, Ethereum—all verifiable on-chain. Yet Ledger’s ecosystem became proprietary. Developers couldn’t submit patches without approval. That’s not innovation—it’s control masquerading as security.

The Cost of Complacency

With over 4 million active users still relying on Nano S—and estimated $500M in held value at risk—Ledger chose abandonment over stewardship. Their statement? ‘We don’t guarantee future compatibility.’ That’s not technical limitation—it’s emotional erosion.

The New King is Coming

Zach Herbert of Passport Prime called it ‘a four-layer mistake.’ And he’s right. Hard wallets aren’t consumer gadgets—they’re constitutional infrastructure. When you abandon your most loyal users to chase margin growth… you don’t just lose market share—you lose trust forever.