Cardano Founder Reveals The Crypto Project That Almost Overshadowed Ethereum

As an experienced analyst, I believe that Hoskinson’s revelation about NXT and his remarks on governance in the crypto ecosystem highlight the importance of effective project management and strong governance structures in the success or failure of a cryptocurrency project.


Charles Hoskinson, the founder of Cardano (ADA), recently disclosed a crypto project that came close to eclipsing Ethereum (ETH) during its formative years. This disclosure came after Hoskinson shared his biggest fear while serving as CEO of Ethereum.

The Crypto Project That Almost Overshadowed Ethereum

As a crypto analyst, I’d rephrase that statement as follows: During an interview with Altcoin Daily, I (Hoskinson) expressed my belief that NXT could have surpassed Ethereum during its formative years between 2013 and 2014. This project instilled the most fear in me while I was leading Ethereum as its CEO.

I discovered a new cryptocurrency project, NXT, which has rapidly gained significant traction within a short timeframe of less than three months. What intrigued me the most was its foundation on Java technology, but what truly caught my attention was the incredibly dedicated community behind it. Additionally, NXT is continuously expanding its features and offers user-driven assets.

Interestingly, NXT was already on proof-of-stake then (while Ethereum was still running a proof-of-work mechanism) and had made plans to implement smart contracts on their network. The Cardano founder sounded intrigued by the NXT’s growth as he mentioned how they were “running” and going “so fast.” However, things didn’t end well for NXT, with Hoskinson mentioning what he believes led to the project’s downfall.

Hoskinson acknowledged that the token distribution could have been improved, but swiftly followed up by suggesting a potential solution. The crux of the issue for the Cardano founder, however, was the lack of an effective governance system. This shortcoming led to internal discord within the team and ultimately resulted in the formation of multiple new projects.

Hoskinson stated that Ethereum might never have emerged if NXT had boasted the appropriate governance structure, as it could have continued to flourish substantially as the leading platform instead. He further expressed that NXT would have drawn in everyone due to its novelty and captivating technology.

Governance Matters A Lot

After discussing the factors that contributed to NXT’s decline, Hoskinson emphasized the crucial role of effective governance in the cryptocurrency sector. He stressed that governance is the “decisive factor” between a project’s success and failure. Poor governance, he warned, could be detrimental to a project and cited Microsoft as an example of how it had fallen behind competitors like Google, Apple, and Facebook due to poor governance.

As an analyst, I find Hoskinson’s emphasis on decentralized governance intriguing. Instead of everyone having a say being a potential issue, as some may argue, he views it as a key to running a successful crypto ecosystem. This is what sets Cardano apart from other projects in the space, according to him. We aim to make this vision a reality with Cardano.

Cardano is nearly ready for the Chang Fork Hard Update, marking the beginning of the “Voltaire” phase. This era emphasizes decentralized governance and puts the power in the hands of the community. Post-network enhancement, Cardano’s ecosystem will be self-governing. Hoskinson asserts that Voltaire will represent the “most sophisticated blockchain governance system.”

Cardano Founder Reveals The Crypto Project That Almost Overshadowed Ethereum

Read More

2024-06-18 17:41