Ethereum Could Be Gone in 10 Years, Says Cardano's Charles Hoskinson

• Ethereum could be gone in 10 years, warns Hoskinson
• Cardano criticizes Ethereum's technical architecture
• Bitcoin DeFi Could Replace Ethereum Network, Says Founder

During a live QA, Charles Hoskinson, founder of Cardano and one of the co-founders of Ethereum, said that the rival network could be headed for extinction within the next 10 to 15 years. The comparison was blunt: “I don’t think Ethereum will survive… more than 10 to 15 years,” he said, comparing the platform’s trajectory to that of past tech giants like BlackBerry and Myspace.

According to him, the weakening of Ethereum's foundation would be the result of a series of structural and strategic factors, such as the advancement of second-layer solutions, which would be “sucking all the alpha” from the main network. Hoskinson argues that as these solutions gain traction, the ecosystem will fragment, compromising the cohesion of the original protocol.

Furthermore, he pointed out that governance in Ethereum is virtually non-existent at the chain level, which makes coordinated adaptations difficult. “Vitalik’s willpower will not be enough to hold it all together,” he commented, referring to co-founder Vitalik Buterin.

Hoskinson also criticized specific aspects of Ethereum’s technical architecture, including its accounting model, the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), and the current proof-of-stake (PoS) mechanism. In his view, these design choices are already outdated and may not support long-term growth.

In one of his most blunt statements, he stated: “It’s just a victim of its own success, like Myspace or any of these other companies that have a lot of network effect and momentum.” He also mentioned that other networks, such as Solana, have “swallowed” Ethereum in several technical and usability aspects.

By positioning DeFi built on top of Bitcoin as a promising alternative, Hoskinson made it clear that the future of decentralization may no longer revolve around Ethereum.