Charles Hoskinson: Ethereum will not last 10 to 15 years

According to Charles Hoskinson, founder of Cardano (ADA) and co -founder of Ethereum (ETH), the future of Ethereum looks gloomy.

During a recent ASK-Me-Anything (AMA) session on X, in which members of the community could freely ask him questions, Hoskinson expressed a strong criticism of his former project. He spoke clear language: if Ethereum persists, according to him, it still has at most 10 to 15 years to go.

Three weak spots for Ethereum

Hoskinson mentions a series of fundamental weaknesses that, according to him, put serious pressure on the future -proofness of Ethereum.

First of all, he criticizes the choice for the current protocol and the proof-of-stake (POS) consensus mechanism. In his eyes, this model is insufficiently robust to support Ethereum in the long term.

He is also very concerned about the increasing dependence on so-called Layer-2 (L2) networks. Where many see these scale solutions as a way to make Ethereum more efficient, Hoskinson label them as “parasitic structures” that weakens the main network instead of strengthening.

Finally, he points to the poor decision-making within the Ethereum ecosystem. Decisions are made via off-chain governance, where discussions take place on social platforms instead of on the blockchain itself. According to Hoskinson, this approach leads to a lack of transparency and minimal involvement of the broader community.

The route to recovery?

According to Charles Hoskinson there is still a glimmer of hope for Ethereum, but then the helm has to be drastically. He argues for a switch to a Delegated proof-of-stake consensus mechanism, as we see at Sui (Sui). He also encourages the introduction of a completely on-chain governance model. Only then, he says, can Ethereum really become future -proof.

Yet Hoskinson is skeptical whether that change will ever come. According to him, Ethereum is too deeply stuck in his current structure. The different L2 solutions are so strongly intertwined with the main network that would feel release as a “hostile separation”. Not a simple job.

In the meantime, Hoskinson points to the rapid rise of alternative block chains such as Cardano, Sui and also Solana (SOL). According to him, these networks do what Ethereum left: they build scalable systems with clear governance and smarter technology.