In a bold and controversial statement, Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has warned that Ethereum could collapse within the next decade if core issues aren’t addressed.
Speaking on Ethereum’s future, Hoskinson highlighted critical architectural weaknesses, governance challenges, and value leakage through Layer 2 solutions.
What Hoskinson Said
♦️ “Ethereum’s current design will not sustain the next 10–15 years without major upgrades.”
♦️ Compared Ethereum’s situation to the downfall of BlackBerry, once a tech giant
♦️ Warned that Layer 2s are draining value instead of adding resilience to the network
♦️ Highlighted centralization risks and poor on-chain governance
♦️ Called for urgent reform, or Ethereum may become irrelevant
Key Issues Cited
♦️ Architectural Flaws – Ethereum’s monolithic Layer 1 model is increasingly inefficient
♦️ Governance Confusion – Lack of clear and inclusive decision-making
♦️ Layer 2 Fragmentation – Ecosystem is losing value to third-party L2s without long-term network cohesion
♦️ Scaling Limitations – Despite upgrades, ETH faces performance bottlenecks
Why This Matters
♦️ Hoskinson was an original co-founder of Ethereum before launching Cardano
♦️ His criticism comes with technical credibility and inside knowledge
♦️ With Ethereum dominance already declining in 2025, this adds more pressure to the network’s roadmap
♦️ A shakeup or major failure in Ethereum would impact thousands of DeFi, NFT, and infrastructure projects
The Bigger Picture
♦️ Cardano and Solana continue to push toward scalable, governance-first solutions
♦️ Ethereum still maintains the largest developer base, but signs of fragmentation are visible
♦️ As macro liquidity returns, investors may rotate to more adaptive L1s
♦️ This statement could reignite the L1 Wars, especially between Cardano, Solana, and Ethereum