Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has criticized the Cardano Foundation after noticing that Midnight was missing from the Foundation’s showcase at TOKEN2049 Singapore.
Speaking at the Cardano booth on October 7, Hoskinson questioned why Midnight was not included in the Foundation’s 108-square-meter exhibition space.
Cardano Foundation Fails to List Midnight
“The largest project on Cardano doesn’t seem to be listed anywhere in the ecosystem,” Hoskinson said in a video shared on social media.
Midnight has become the where’s waldo of Cardano https://t.co/pvge2BB2T0
— Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles) October 7, 2026
He mentioned other projects featured at the booth, including Minswap, Iagon, SNEK and GravityDEX. Meanwhile, he jokingly suggested that Midnight may have been left out because it focuses on privacy.
“Maybe Midnight is so private that they’ve chosen not to selectively disclose,” Hoskinson said.
He stressed that Midnight is the largest project on Cardano and pointed out that it is listed on Binance and brings users into the Cardano ecosystem.
“I guess it’s not part of the Cardano ecosystem,” he said sarcastically. “You know, it’s on Cardano.”
Hoskinson also urged the Cardano community to pay close attention to how its treasury funds are being used, especially when voting on funding proposals.
His comments come amid an ongoing disagreement between Hoskinson and the Cardano Foundation over how the Cardano ecosystem should be managed and represented.
Hoskinson: “Where’s Waldo?”
Hoskinson later summarized his criticism in a post on X, writing: “Midnight has become the where’s waldo of Cardano.”
Meanwhile, some users criticized Hoskinson, pointing to his past disagreements with the Cardano Foundation. One user, Dudewhyme, shared a meme referencing Hoskinson’s earlier criticism of the Foundation.
Hoskinson responded that the booth belongs to the wider Cardano community because community funds financed it.
“The booth is a public asset for Cardano,” Hoskinson said. “It was funded by the Cardano community and represents the Cardano ecosystem. It’s our money.”
The comment suggests that, regardless of individual differences, a project as large as Midnight should not have been left out, especially since the wider Cardano community funded the booth.
The booth is a public asset for Cardano. It was funded by the Cardano community and represents the elcardano ecosystem. It’s our money
— Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles) October 7, 2026
Cardano Foundation Showcases 30+ Projects
The disagreement is about the Cardano Foundation’s large booth at TOKEN2049. The booth features more than 30 Cardano projects and builders working in areas such as DeFi, real-world assets, AI, and blockchain tools.
The Foundation said the booth has a stage for more than 30 speakers, a podcast studio, an ecosystem display, Foundation representatives, merchandise and free coffee.
Meanwhile, Midnight has its own presence at the conference. The project started its first day with a keynote from Midnight President Fahmi S., who discussed Midnight Passport, a collateral warehouse, Night mode and Offer files.
Midnight describes itself as a privacy-focused layer that can work across different blockchains.
Day 1 of @token2049 has started with @F_ZK_Now’s keynote which was packed 🔥
Midnight Passport.
Collateral warehouse.
Night mode.
Offer files.The privacy layer for every chain. pic.twitter.com/Z7TQiaiNfs
— Midnight (@MidnightNtwrk) October 7, 2026
Hoskinson’s comments raise questions about how Cardano projects should be represented when community money is used to promote the ecosystem. His criticism also adds to the ongoing tension between IOG, which supports Midnight, and the Cardano Foundation.
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