Key Highlights
- Charles Hoskinson demanded an apology from a Cardano operator after criticism of the Midnight launch.
- Midnight’s bridge currently allows tokens to move from Cardano to Midnight but not the other way around, raising concerns about ADA liquidity.
- Midnight is a partner chain designed to complement Cardano, which adds privacy and scalability for developers and institutional users.
Charles Hoskinson, founder of Cardano, has demanded an apology from a community operator following the launch of Midnight, a privacy-focused partner chain for the Cardano blockchain.
The mainnet rollout went live on March 30. However, the launch has triggered public debate over how the new system moves assets between Midnight and Cardano.
Right now, tokens can go from Cardano into Midnight, but not the other way, which worries some members about losing money from Cardano.
Community debate over token bridge
The main criticism came from Dave, a Cardano stake pool operator. He said Midnight could take value away from Cardano and “offers fewer features than the main network.” Dave asked for more details on how Midnight will benefit Cardano.
Other community members weighed in. Pyro, a user, warned that Hoskinson’s response might make things worse, while Dagnum, a developer at Input Output Global, supported Dave and said he deserves respect and an apology for his concerns.
Hoskinson defended Midnight as an important project capable of generating significant growth for Cardano. He asked Dave to apologize, comparing the situation to past disagreements that slowed the progress of the project.
“The largest project on Cardano, which will add billions of dollars in value to Cardano, is being treated this way. Like Whale before him, this attitude will destroy Cardano if it is allowed to continue. I want an apology from Dave,” he said.
Dave refused, asking for more information about how value flows back from Midnight into Cardano.
Midnight’s role in the Cardano ecosystem
Midnight is designed as a partner chain, meant to work alongside Cardano rather than replace it.
In a post on X, DRep dori, a representative in the Cardano community, emphasized that Midnight complements Cardano by providing additional capabilities such as privacy and scalability.
“Midnight isn’t competing with Cardano. It’s a complementary partner chain that fills in the gaps in scalability and functionality,” dori wrote. He added that Midnight helps Cardano handle more tasks, like privacy and faster processing, and is designed for institutions like banks that want to keep their data private.
Meanwhile, Hoskinson has also proposed changes to token design within Midnight, moving away from traditional inflation-based rewards to a system that depends on network use and long-term sustainability.
The bridge functionality is being rolled out in stages, with full bidirectional transfers expected in the future. The mainnet now allows developers, partners, and institutions to build applications and move assets, marking a new stage for Cardano focused on privacy, speed, and broader adoption.
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