Charles Hoskinson, Ethereum co-founder and later creator of Cardano, has made significant waves as an industry figure. Hoskinson’s exit from the project was bitter, characterized by infighting and disagreement over the eventual direction of Ethereum. Things came to a head when the contentiousness ultimately compelled Vitalik Buterin to fire Hoskinson from the team.
The mystery of his exit, combined with the success he found with Cardano, leave quite the trail of destruction. Consequently, Hoskinson has found himself to be one of the most controversial figures in the blockchain world.
The Zug Mansion Decision
The fateful decision to separate from Hoskinson was taken in Zug, Switzerland. As Vitalik Buterin described, the meeting was held in a mansion.
I made this speech that consisted of half a minute of filler, followed by the real decision, which was that Charles and Amir (another co-founder) would be fired. They were disappointed but not absolutely surprised. - Vitalik Buterin
Hoskinson’s aggressive business acumen soon rubbed up the wrong way against the vision the likes of Buterin and other Ethereum leaders had. Hoskinson and Gavin Wood gave Vitalik an ultimatum: it's either Charles or Gavin.
"Lord of the Flies"
After Charles Hoskinson departed Ethereum, the atmosphere in the project quickly soured. Hoskinson called the ensuing ordeal a “Lord of the Flies”-style power grab.
It became a Lord of the Flies — style situation, where power camps were formed and whoever was most persuasive to Vitalik was the one who won. That’s why there’s some bad blood; that’s why I wasn’t the nicest guy on the exit. - Charles Hoskinson
The first transaction ever recorded on the Ethereum blockchain between co-founders Gavin Wood and Charles Hoskinson. This event illustrated Hoskinson’s early and disproportionate influence over the project. Though he made important early contributions, clashes about the overall vision for the project caused his termination.
The Rise of Cardano
After leaving Ethereum, Hoskinson went on to found Cardano, now one of the largest cryptocurrencies by market cap. Cardano is a proof-of-stake blockchain platform.
Hoskinson maintains a strong online presence, engaging with the crypto community through weekly interactive live streams and various social media platforms. His active engagement and distinctive personality have contributed to his memetic appeal within the crypto space, which includes falconry, dancing, and weekly Q&As.
I’ll leave it to CoinDesk to explain how Hoskinson has become one of the most idiosyncratic personalities in the cryptocurrency space. Beyond his work in cryptocurrency, Hoskinson regales with tales of government black ops gone wrong and war zone heroics. He even fictitiously lays claim to DARPA connections, these stories are all unsubstantiated at best though.
