Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has pushed back against frustrated ADA investors, arguing that his responsibility was to build and decentralize the blockchain, not guarantee that its native token would increase in value. His comments came during a YouTube Ask Me Anything session as ADA traded around $0.17, leaving holders facing a prolonged decline from previous market highs.
The discussion became heated after an investor challenged Hoskinson over earlier statements suggesting Cardano could eventually overtake Bitcoin. Hoskinson rejected the claim that he had made such a promise, saying he had expressed a desire for that outcome rather than guaranteed it. He also maintained that he never promised price appreciation or a change in the cryptocurrency market’s rankings.
The exchange reflects growing frustration among parts of the Cardano community. ADA reached an all-time high of approximately $3.09 in September 2021, meaning its price was down more than 94% at the time of the latest report. The token had also fallen approximately 86% from its 2024 peak of around $1.21, according to figures reported by Decrypt.
For investors who entered the market near those highs, the distinction between building a blockchain and delivering returns may offer little comfort. However, Hoskinson argued that expecting a founder to keep driving the token price higher creates an obligation with no clear endpoint. Investors who buy at different price levels will always have different expectations about what constitutes success.
Hoskinson Says Cardano Has Delivered Its Original Roadmap
Hoskinson also used the discussion to declare Cardano’s original roadmap complete, saying the commitments he made when building the network had been fulfilled. He described the blockchain as self-determining and self-governing, with the ability to select its own leaders and make decisions without requiring his approval.
Cardano’s development was organized around five major eras: Byron, Shelley, Goguen, Basho and Voltaire. These phases introduced the network’s initial infrastructure, staking, smart contracts, scaling improvements and decentralized governance. The Plomin hard fork in January 2025 completed a major governance milestone by giving ADA holders voting power over important network decisions.
Related: Charles Hoskinson Says Midnight Could Overtake Cardano as NIGHT Builds Its Own Market Narrative
The transition to community governance is central to Hoskinson’s argument. He said he no longer has control over the ecosystem and questioned why investors expected him to remain personally responsible for its market performance after the network became decentralized.
However, declaring the original roadmap complete does not mean Cardano development has stopped. Scaling initiatives, application development and ecosystem expansion remain ongoing. The distinction is that future progress increasingly depends on independent development teams, community governance and projects building on the network rather than relying solely on its founder.
ADA Holders Still Face the Adoption Question
Hoskinson’s comments also highlight a familiar challenge across cryptocurrency markets: technical development does not automatically translate into token appreciation. A blockchain can introduce governance, smart contracts and scaling improvements, but investors ultimately look for evidence that these capabilities are attracting users, applications, liquidity and sustained economic activity.
For Cardano, the next phase will depend on whether its ecosystem can convert its infrastructure into broader adoption. Projects such as RealFi and Midnight are among the initiatives associated with efforts to expand the network’s reach and attract additional activity. Their success, however, will need to be measured through actual usage rather than announcements or market expectations.
The price decline also places greater pressure on Cardano’s community governance model. With Hoskinson arguing that the network no longer depends on him, ADA holders and ecosystem participants must increasingly take responsibility for funding decisions, development priorities and long-term direction.
For ADA investors, the central question remains whether Cardano can turn its completed foundational roadmap into sustained adoption and stronger market demand. Hoskinson has made his position clear: he believes he delivered the network he set out to build, but he does not consider guaranteeing a higher ADA price part of that commitment.
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