Cardano Founder Predicts Ethereum's Demise Within 15 Years

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has stirred controversy with his bold prediction that Ethereum may not survive the next decade. During a Wednesday AMA session, Hoskinson—who also co-founded Ethereum—compared the platform to Blackberry, the once-dominant phone maker that failed to adapt in the face of Apple's iPhone revolution.

"I don't think Ethereum will survive more than 10 to 15 years," Hoskinson said, adding that users will gradually migrate to better alternatives. He criticized Ethereum’s core design, claiming it is built on flawed foundations. According to him, Ethereum has the “wrong accounting model, the wrong virtual machine, and the wrong consensus mechanism,” with its current proof-of-stake protocol particularly under fire.

Hoskinson also took aim at Ethereum’s slashing economics and growing reliance on layer-2 (L2) networks. Echoing sentiments shared by Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko, he described L2s as “parasitic,” arguing that they draw value and activity away from Ethereum’s main chain. This, he warned, could lead to increasing fragmentation and a weakening of community cohesion, making it difficult even for Ethereum’s visionary leader Vitalik Buterin to maintain unity.

Another key concern raised by Hoskinson is Ethereum's lack of a solid on-chain governance model. He believes this deficiency hampers its ability to address internal issues and adapt effectively to market changes.

Ethereum’s recent performance has added weight to these critiques. The token is down 46% against Bitcoin since the beginning of the year, and bearish Ethereum ETFs have emerged as some of the top performers in the U.S. markets.

Hoskinson concluded by stating that Cardano’s architectural and governance choices position it more favorably for long-term sustainability in the evolving blockchain landscape.