On July 25, 2026, Charles Hoskinson, the founder of Cardano, fired back at Lorenzo Valente, Ark Invest's Director of Research for Digital Assets, after a public criticism on X.
Valente questioned why Cardano still draws attention in the crypto world, calling out the industry for continuing to spotlight Hoskinson and Cardano despite what he sees as irrelevance. He wrote that the sector harms its own credibility by inviting Hoskinson to conferences, accepting sponsorships from Cardano, and featuring it in podcasts.
"It's 2026, and we're still talking about Cardano. We're still inviting Charles to conferences, treating Cardano as newsworthy, accepting its sponsorship money, and giving it airtime on podcasts. Then we wonder why this industry struggles for credibility," Valente posted. "No serious industry keeps rewarding irrelevance like this."
Hoskinson didn’t hold back in his response, accusing Valente of bias and suggesting that the criticism reflected personal opinion rather than an objective view. He tweeted, "Well, I don't think I'll get a fair shake from @ARKInvest anytime soon:( It's sad that VCs hire people like this. An entire institution is biased by one person."
Interestingly, despite Valente’s harsh words, Cardano remains part of Ark Invest’s portfolio, included among assets in their ETF filing earlier this year. This contrast highlights an internal disconnect between individual researchers and the broader investment strategy.
The debate shows ongoing tensions in crypto circles about which projects deserve attention and funding as the market matures and investors become more selective.
