Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson says the network’s slow, security-first development is beginning to win recognition, comparing its path to Anthropic’s rise in AI. He pointed to the $292 million Kelp DAO exploit and its fallout at Aave as evidence that speed to market carries real risk. ADA, meanwhile, remains down 80% over the past year.
Charles Hoskinson argues that Cardano’s methodical development strategy is beginning to gain recognition as the industry contends with a run of attacks and exploits. In a recent CoinDesk interview, the Cardano founder compared the network’s trajectory to Anthropic’s path in artificial intelligence, saying the firm leads its field despite entering the market later than Google and OpenAI.
He said Anthropic succeeded by adopting a disciplined philosophy from the start rather than chasing speed, and he believes Cardano is now seeing a similar shift as developers and investors prioritize security and governance over speed to market. According to CryptoPotato, Hoskinson said of Anthropic’s rise: “They hadn’t fundamentally changed, they just had the right mindset.”
Security incidents strengthen Cardano’s case
Hoskinson pointed to the recent Kelp DAO exploit and its knock-on effects at Aave as examples of the risks of prioritizing innovation over resilience. In April, Kelp DAO lost $292 million after attackers forged cross-chain messages and withdrew unbacked rsETH through a misconfigured LayerZero bridge.
Aave’s smart contracts were not compromised, but the attacker deposited the fraudulent rsETH as collateral to borrow real assets. That left the lending protocol exposed to bad debt and triggered billions of dollars in TVL outflows before the team implemented recovery measures. For Hoskinson, the episode showed how a vulnerability in one protocol can spread quickly through the broader DeFi ecosystem.
ADA’s longstanding underperformance
The comments follow built-up criticism that Cardano has prioritized academic research at the expense of ecosystem growth. It remains one of the largest protocols by market capitalization. At $6.2 billion, it ranks as the 20th-largest project — far below its former standing.
ADA is one of the worst performers of the past year, down 80% over 365 days. Ethereum, which Hoskinson often compares Cardano to, is down 48% over the same period. Bitcoin, the industry’s benchmark, is down 44%.
Hoskinson acknowledged that Cardano’s decision-making has not been flawless, but he expressed confidence that the network is better positioned than in previous cycles. He predicted it would grow strongly over the next 12 to 24 months.
Source: CryptoPotato
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