Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has taken a critical stance against Ethereum, labeling it a “dictatorship” heavily influenced by its co-founder, Vitalik Buterin. Hoskinson claims Buterin holds too much sway over Ethereum’s development, turning the decentralized network into a system that relies on one individual for key decisions.
Speaking at Token2049 in Singapore, Hoskinson argued that Ethereum’s governance model overly depends on Buterin’s vision. He contrasted this with Cardano’s approach, which he says prevents the same centralization of influence. According to Hoskinson, blockchain governance can either remain simple like Bitcoin or concentrate power in a leader. However, Cardano avoids both extremes through its Voltaire-era governance model, which focuses on efficiency, effectiveness, and integrity by leveraging representatives and a member-based organization known as Intersect.
“If you have these three elements, you have a chance to avoid Bitcoin’s anarchy or Ethereum’s dictatorship, and you can move forward with one voice while staying decentralized,” Hoskinson explained.
When pressed about his remarks, Hoskinson pointed out that Ethereum’s direction is largely driven by Buterin. He questioned what would happen to Ethereum’s future hard forks without Buterin’s leadership, arguing that Buterin’s influence shaped pivotal decisions, such as the move away from sharding to Layer 2 networks for scalability.
Hoskinson emphasized that although Buterin is not the sole decision-maker, Ethereum’s roadmap is deeply tied to his vision. He criticized Ethereum’s shift to Layer 2 solutions, suggesting that the idea likely stemmed from Buterin’s advocacy rather than broader community input.
While acknowledging his own role in shaping Cardano, Hoskinson explained that Cardano’s governance model is designed to sustain innovation even without him. The network’s recent Chang hard fork has empowered ADA holders to vote on development proposals and elect representatives, ensuring a decentralized future.
Cardano is finalizing a constitution that will likely set hard rules on key issues, including governance and supply, further distinguishing itself from Ethereum’s model.
