Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson took aim at Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse in a January 18, 2026 video, criticizing what he did as an industry push to accept the US Transparency Act with conditions that would expand the Securities and Exchange Commission’s authority over new projects.
Speaking on Jan 18, Hoskinson used an extensive monologue about market fatigue, industry ethics, and the work behind Cardano and Midnight to get to the regulatory flashpoint: a bill he described as bloated with “137 amendments” and tilted to the SEC. According to him, this proposal will force crypto projects to “go and beg” for help, with “all new projects” automatically considered securities.
Why Hoskinson Blasted Ripple CEO Garlinghouse
Hoskinson said the outcome would be his goal, which is worse, in his view, than the policy uncertainty the industry has been trying to avoid. “How’s that better than Scary Gary [Gensler] gave it to us under Biden?” he said, referring to the SEC’s enforcement action against the crypto industry under former US President Joe Biden, before extending the criticism to lobbying and political activity more broadly.
Hoskinson’s harsh words came when he cited undisclosed industry figures that suggested they were promoting consensus, then called out Garlinghouse directly. “You still have people like Brad [Garlinghouse] to say well it’s not perfect but we have to find something,” he said, “You know, it’s better than not clarifying. Forward it to the same people who sued us. We gave it to the same people who put us out of business, called us out, put us in jail. That’s better. That’s what we were fighting for.”
He then cast the decision as irreversible once enacted, and used the long life of US securities law to argue that the flawed draft would count. “And tell me, how do we change it? Like we changed the Securities Exchange Act of 1933,” Hoskinson said. “93 years later, have we been able to change it? No. You make it, you own it forever. Sorry, Brad. It’s not better than chaos. Take chaos and fight for what’s right. Fight for integrity.”
How about focusing on helping shape the Clarity Bill instead of clashing with Brad for no reason, Charles? pic.twitter.com/3jDHUiEbNp
– Vet (@Vet_X0) January 18, 2026
While the Garlinghouse jab was very clear, Hoskinson framed it within a larger narrative: that crypto’s mission was reduced to a lobbying-driven competition for acceptable market access rather than an attempt to redesign how value and ownership are handled online.
He argued that the industry is at risk of normalizing a world of “fund of funds” automation, ubiquitous KYC, and reverse transactions, the effects of which he attributed to legacy power structures rather than the original “revolutionary” ethos.
“I didn’t sign up to give change to 15 banks,” he explained, describing a future where transactions “can be stopped automatically.” Hoskinson linked those concerns to broader criticisms of technological oversight and what he called the loss of individual “agency,” suggesting that the industry’s incentive structure draws leaders into comfort and access rather than confrontation.
The words ran through a different thread in his speech: a rebuke of what he called the “poisonous learned pessimism” in crypto discourse. Hoskinson said he’s stopped using X/Twitter, which he still broadcasts, but doesn’t read or engage—saying the constant irritation and demands for quick announcements distort how long discussions and product development actually work.
At press time, XRP traded at $1.95.
The featured image was created with DALL.E, a chart from TradingView.com
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