Charles Hoskinson Founder of IOHK & Cardano reflects on the crypto industry's turbulent past four years, marked by regulatory chaos, failed projects, and political mismanagement, which wiped out retail investors and left altcoins stagnant while Bitcoin became institutionalized. He emphasizes that 2026 is not a typical bull market but a necessary reset, driven by the need for a new generation of protocols focused on rational privacy, smart compliance, and chain abstraction that simplify user experience and enable mass adoption. Despite significant setbacks, including his own $2.5 billion paper loss, Charles remains optimistic about the future, comparing the upcoming crypto evolution to Amazon’s transformation, where real utility and global decentralization will drive growth, reclaim retail trust, and resist Wall Street’s institutional grip, ultimately shaping a stronger, privacy-centered, and politically neutral crypto ecosystem.
