NEO is not centralized like XRP. Look at the coin supply. NEO holders control 65% of the tokens and within a few more years the community will control 100%. Most of the new supply of NEO being unlocked is being paid out for new development. This is all in the whitepaper and has been the plan for long time. In NEO, the validators will be ID'd voted on by community. This is to make happy the Government regulators since they demand KYC/AML. The goal is to get the real economy on the NEO blockchain. Hence, the motto "NEO - Smart Economy".