Hoskinson vs. Cardano Foundation: Berlin Parties Escalate Into ’Useful Idiots’ War

Cardano's leadership crisis deepens as founder Charles Hoskinson unleashes blistering attack on the very foundation meant to steward his blockchain brainchild.

The Berlin Backlash

What started as diplomatic tensions over German conference parties has exploded into full-scale verbal warfare. Hoskinson's 'useful idiots' comment isn't just corporate drama—it's a fundamental challenge to Cardano's governance model.

Foundation Fumble

The Cardano Foundation finds itself in the crosshairs of its own creator. No longer content with behind-the-scenes maneuvering, Hoskinson's public broadside signals a breakdown in the three-entity structure designed to keep ADA decentralized.

Community Whiplash

ADA holders watch nervously as the very architects of their investment trade accusations. When the founder calls his foundation 'useful idiots,' it makes traditional boardroom squabbles look like tea parties. Just another day in crypto governance—where the inmates are running the asylum and occasionally setting it on fire.

The Hoskinson Vs. Cardano Foundation Beef Flares Up Again

He linked that criticism directly to comments from Nicolas Cerny, the Cardano Foundation’s community and governance lead. In an earlier post, Cerny had written: “The ‘CF derangement syndrome’ is flaring up again. I strongly advise practicing critical thinking rather than simply parroting the talking points of certain individuals. You’re better than just being a useful idiot for someone’s political games.”

Hoskinson seized on this wording as emblematic of a deeper cultural problem at the Foundation, saying: “It is also extraordinary that the community lead at the CF calls the community ‘useful idiots’ when they ask for oversight and control over their foundation. Are you all getting the arrogance of their culture? It’s fundamentally broken.”

He later drew a clear line around his own base: “No one in my community is a useful idiot.”

Cerny, in follow-up posts, tried to supply context. He argued that fair criticism “is always welcome and encouraged,” claimed the CF has “a culture of listening and engaging,” and pointed back to Cardano’s original three-pillar model.

Citing a 2018 description of Cardano.org, he noted that the Foundation was initially tasked with standards, community support and regulatory engagement, while Emurgo was presented as the entity responsible for investing in start-ups and helping businesses, including stablecoin projects, build on Cardano.

“Based on this,” Cerny wrote, “Emurgo was the entity originally responsible for getting businesses, like stablecoin projects, to build on Cardano […] Many things have changed since then, and the Cardano Foundation has had to pick up more responsibilities, so I understand why people are frustrated. However, it seems unfair to blame an organization for not fulfilling a role it was never originally designed to fill. Regardless, we are doing it now because it matters.”

The Foundation today explicitly presents a wider mandate, including support for DeFi liquidity, Web3 integrations and real-world adoption, and has formalized these priorities in its public roadmap. Hoskinson, however, continues to argue that structural issues at the CF outweigh those efforts.

Replying to a community member who urged IOG, CF and Emurgo to “team up in favour of growth” and warned that “this is wrong” if the three entities cannot work constructively, Hoskinson was blunt: “I spent years trying to work with them. It is not possible with their current FORM and culture. They need oversight and leadership changes. Only uncompromising and continuous scrutiny can force this change and enable a reset.”

The result is a governance paradox at the heart of Cardano. On paper, the ecosystem is rolling out one of the industry’s most elaborate on-chain governance stacks. In practice, its founding institutions remain locked in a public struggle over mandate, legitimacy and tone — one now symbolized by Berlin’s “6 million ADA parties” on one side and “useful idiots” on the other.

At press time, ADA traded at $0.458.