Cardano Founder Reacts to Claims Cardano No Longer Needs Him After Chang

In the wake of the Chang hard fork, a member of the Cardano community suggested that Charles Hoskinson may no longer be needed in the Cardano project.

This remark came from a discussion initiated by Chris O’Connor, a Cardano DRep and founder of the Cardano Ghost Fund.

Notably, he suggested that one of the first community governance actions following Chang should be to retain Charles Hoskinson and IOHK (Input Output Hong Kong) to expedite the development of features such as Ouroboros Peras and Leios.

The Chang hard fork, which was recently implemented, marks the beginning of the Voltaire era for Cardano. This era is characterized by a shift from centralized control under IOHK and the Cardano Foundation to a decentralized governance structure.

Notably, the latest development now allows the Cardano community to directly propose and vote on decisions affecting the ecosystem, a crucial milestone in Cardano’s evolution.

While O’Connor’s suggestion to propose for Hoskinson’s retainment found support among many community members, some opposed it. Robert Roose, the founder of Cardano interoperability service Mynth, voiced his disagreement with the suggestion.

Hoskinson Not “Technically Involved” in IOHK

Roose argued that Cardano could benefit from moving away from having a central figurehead. He suggested that the ecosystem might be stronger and more distinctive without Hoskinson at the helm.

He also proposed that if IOHK were to continue contributing to Cardano, it should do so in a way that aligns more closely with a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) model.

According to him, he would only contract IOHK if Hoskinson is no longer CEO of the firm. He suggested that Hoskinson would not be needed, as he is allegedly not “technically involved.”

These comments raised a question from another community member about why Hoskinson’s presence should influence the decision to retain IOHK. Roose responded by stating that he believes Cardano needs to evolve beyond a central leadership figure to fully differentiate itself from other blockchain projects like Ethereum.

Because my belief is that Cardano will become stronger without a central leader. It’ll help differentiate against Ethereum. I see that Cardano is being held back, and it’s time to let go. This ultimately has been a huge social experiment, so let’s play it out fully and see where…

— SynthLuvr (@SynthLuvr) September 2, 2024

He claims this evolution would make Cardano more resilient and adaptable in the long run. Roose suggested that a flatter organizational structure, where those who write the code have more control, could be beneficial for Cardano’s growth.

He noted that IOHK is already composed of smaller teams and proposed further decentralizing these teams to enhance community accountability.

The Cardano Founder Reacts

Hoskinson responded to Roose’s comments, expressing surprise at the assertion that he is not technically involved in Cardano. The Cardano founder asked to know what people actually believe he does at IOHK.

In a subsequent post, he highlighted the challenges and emotional journey of working on Cardano over the past decade, noting that his role has been misunderstood by some. Hoskinson noted the evolution of Cardano from its early days to its current state as a decentralized ecosystem and defended his involvement in its development.

One of the deepest lessons I’ve taken to heart over the past decade is that becoming a public figure means you turn into a human rorschach test where those who don’t like you will take any post or comment and assume the worst possible interpretation.

Working on Cardano this…

— Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles) September 2, 2024

The Cardano founder also shared his thoughts on the future of Cardano, describing it as one of the most significant technical achievements in human history.

He highlighted the decentralized nature of the Cardano network, which spans over 100 countries and operates without central coordination. Hoskinson expressed his belief that Cardano’s transformation into a self-sustaining governance system is unprecedented and puts the chain ahead of even Bitcoin.

Notably, earlier this month, speculation arose, suggesting that Hoskinson was on the verge of leaving Cardano for Midnight, a Cardano sidechain project. He debunked these rumors in early March.

Hoskinson’s commitment to Cardano suggests that he intends to remain involved in its development and governance as the ecosystem continues to evolve.

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