Charles Hoskinson has voiced his frustration over what he describes as an “epic” rise in misinformation about ADA. A rumor falsely claims that Cardano’s large market cap stems from investors being unable to sell their ADA due to being locked in staking pools.
This claim emerged during a podcast featuring crypto commentators InvestAnswers, CTO Larsson, MartyParty, and Mando. InvestAnswers questioned why older crypto projects like Cardano remain highly ranked, suggesting Cardano’s $12 billion market cap exists “without adoption.” MartyParty further alleged that ADA holders are locked into staking pools, unable to sell, and that Cardano’s team deliberately used this system to “trap” investors into holding tokens they can’t exit.
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Hoskinson’s Response to Rumors
Hoskinson responded to these accusations, expressing disappointment at the spread of misinformation. Hoskinson directly addressed the claim, firmly rejecting the false notion that ADA staking is locked. He questioned the credibility of figures like MartyParty within the crypto community, highlighting their role in spreading misleading narratives.
Clarifying ADA Staking
The Cardano community quickly worked to dispel the rumor. Cardano Stake Pool Operator (SPO) PRIDE highlighted the irony of the claim while pointing out that Cardano is the only top 20 crypto project offering native liquid staking. In Cardano’s system, ADA tokens remain unlocked in staking pools, unlike other projects that rely on liquid staking derivatives (LSDs) or liquid staking tokens (LSTs).
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PRIDE pointed out the contradiction in these claims, emphasizing that Cardano’s flexible staking model clearly disproves the accusations. He also rejected the ongoing narrative that Cardano lacks adoption, labeling it as another false claim. The Cardano community has actively corrected misinformation about its staking mechanism.
A Community Note on X reiterated that Cardano offers liquid, non-custodial staking and has never locked users into staking positions. However, this clarification directly counters the false narrative linking ADA’s high market cap to a supposed staking lock-in.
