Charles Hoskinson pushed back in defense of Midnight, saying the privacy-focused project was never intended to undermine or harm Cardano. The dispute ignited after Cardano stake pool operator and DRep Dave posted that he was “starting to really hate Midnight,” criticizing the project’s handling of Cardano assets and warning a proposed “one-way bridge” could lock funds on Midnight and siphon liquidity from Cardano.
Hoskinson called that framing misleading and argued Midnight — one of the network’s largest associated projects — deserves recognition for its potential contribution. He has described Midnight as likely to add “billions of dollars in value” to the Cardano ecosystem and publicly demanded an apology from Dave, saying hostile narratives of this kind risk fracturing community cohesion and harming the network.
A prominent Midnight backer told the community he would sell his holdings and halt plans to accumulate millions of ADA if Hoskinson continued to pressure community figures. Hoskinson responded that he was not engaging in bullying but rather seeking accountability, a standard he said the community has long expected of him.
He reiterated his stark warning that Cardano must “grow up or die,” arguing that internal divisions and antagonistic rhetoric could undermine the project’s long-term prospects.
Hoskinson has repeatedly maintained that Midnight neither harms nor competes with Cardano; instead, he frames it as a partner chain intended to address growing privacy needs across the broader crypto ecosystem. The episode highlights ongoing tensions within the Cardano community over third-party projects, governance, and how to balance innovation with network cohesion.