The Wolf Of All Streets "I Lost $2.5 Billion While The Government Destroyed Crypto Investors" | Charles Hoskinson
Jan 11, 2026
Charles Hoskinson, the visionary founder of IOHK and Cardano, shares insights on the tumultuous crypto landscape shaped by regulatory chaos and market failures. He reflects on his staggering $2.5 billion loss yet maintains optimism for a future driven by innovative protocols that emphasize privacy and usability. Charles discusses the need for a fourth generation of crypto focused on simplifying user experience through smart compliance and intent-based transactions. He also critiques government missteps while advocating for a decentralized, globally-minded ecosystem.
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Crypto Needs A Structural Reset
- The crypto space was "carpet nuked" post-2022 and needs rebuilding rather than hype-driven rallies.
- Bitcoin institutionalized while altcoins stagnated, requiring a new generation of protocols to revive retail.
Build For Privacy, Compliance, And Abstraction
- Build protocols that deliver rational privacy, smart compliance, and chain abstraction to enable mass adoption.
- Focus on wallet and chain abstraction so users can express intents without understanding low-level mechanics.
User Intents Replace Chain Knowledge
- Intents let users request outcomes (e.g., "$100 of Foo coin, best price") without knowing settlement details.
- By 2030 most DEX and DeFi activity will be intent-driven across multiple chains.