Charles Hoskinson, founder of Cardano (ADA) and CEO of Input Output Global (IOG), has sparked backlash after claiming the Cardano roadmap was “completed” in 2020—even as core scalability features like Hydra and Leios remain unlaunched.
Hoskinson said the original contractual obligations for IOG were fulfilled five years into the project, and that he’s worked without compensation since. However, many in the community disagree, pointing to ongoing delays in scaling and infrastructure.
“How is it complete if Hydra isn’t on mainnet and TPS is still low?” asked one critic on social media.
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The company’s scaling roadmap—intended to rival blockchains like Solana—has yet to deliver features like parallel processing through Hydra. Meanwhile, Hoskinson warned that without sufficient funding, continued development could be jeopardized, hinting that IOG might have to relocate to lower-cost regions or lay off staff.
This has added fuel to broader concerns over Cardano’s governance model, budget allocations, and Hoskinson’s vocal resistance to decentralized competitive bidding for development work.
Hoskinson emphasized IOG is “not a time and materials firm,” and won’t cut corners by replacing staff with cheaper talent. The situation has further amplified friction between IOG, the Cardano Foundation, and the broader community, particularly amid debates over the firm’s constitution and budget approval processes.
