Cardano Founder Claps Back: ’ADA Outshines Bitcoin—Here’s Why’

Move over, Bitcoin—Cardano's founder just dropped a truth bomb. In a market obsessed with BTC maximalism, Charles Hoskinson throws down the gauntlet with a bold claim: ADA's tech smokes the OG crypto. No vague promises, just architectural supremacy.

The Scalability Smackdown

While Bitcoin chugs along like dial-up internet, Cardano's proof-of-stake system cuts transaction costs by 99% and handles 1,000+ TPS. Try that with a legacy blockchain still wrestling with $50 fees during peak hours.

Smart Contracts Done Right

Ethereum may have first-mover advantage, but ADA's peer-reviewed approach bypasses the 'move fast and break things' mentality. Formal verification means fewer billion-dollar oops moments—looking at you, DeFi exploiters.

The Institutional Play

With African government partnerships already inked, Cardano's chasing real-world utility while Bitcoin maximalists debate pizza purchases from 2010. Sometimes adoption beats ideology.

Hoskinson's verdict? 'Bitcoin is digital gold—but gold makes terrible plumbing.' Meanwhile, Wall Street still can't decide if crypto's a hedge or a hazard. Some things never change.

Cardano Vs. Bitcoin Returns

According to interviews with Blockworks co‑founder Jason Yanowitz, Cardano’s early backers traded yen contributions into 108,000 BTC. That stash WOULD be worth about nearly $13 billion today if it had just sat there.

Instead, those coins went straight into building Cardano’s network. Based on reports, ADA’s market cap now sits at $30 billion—about 150% higher than the value of the bitcoin reserve and roughly 2.8 times as much.

Really enjoyed this conversation with @IOHK_Charles

We covered a lot: politics, psychedelics, his bison + black hawk, his alien search, Japan’s influence on Cardano, personal security, and of course…

Why he believes ADA is a better investment than BTC.pic.twitter.com/rB26dLLVpP

— Yano(@JasonYanowitz) July 28, 2025

Since launch, ADA has jumped nearly 4,000% from its $0.02 debut in September 2017. Bitcoin has rallied 2,400% from a $4,337 price point in that same stretch.

Many investors see those raw numbers and wonder whether they should have picked ADA over BTC from the start. They lay out a clear record of gains. Yet gains aren’t the full picture.

Each network serves a different purpose. Bitcoin leans on being a store of value. cardano mixes staking, smart contracts and on‑chain governance.

Future Growth Prospects

Hoskinson isn’t stopping at history. He predicts Bitcoin could still make a 10× MOVE to reach $1 million per coin. ADA, by his math, could expand 100× to 1,000×. That puts Cardano’s potential market cap in the $2.8 trillion to $28 trillion range.

He points to projects like Midnight, which aims to bring data privacy to blockchains, and to Cardano’s role as a possible “DeFi layer” for Bitcoin. Those are the levers he says can drive the next big leg up.

That vision carries plenty of risk. Blockchains often launch big ideas that take time—or never—find their footing. And pushing ADA to a multitrillion‑dollar valuation would demand major real‑world use, plus a flood of new users and developers. Even a 100× gain would redraw the charts, let alone 1,000×.

ADA’s run has been impressive. It’s clear that building a living network, rather than simply holding coins, can pay off. But calling ADA “significantly better” than BTC turns on much more than past returns.

It hinges on successful rollouts, DEEP user engagement, and fresh use cases that catch fire. Whether Cardano will rewrite blockchain history remains to be seen.

For now, investors can look at the numbers, weigh the risks, and decide if they want a piece of a project that bets on being more than just money.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView