Charles Hoskinson says Midnight will Not chase Monero and ZCash users in 2026

TLDR

• Charles Hoskinson said Midnight will not actively recruit Monero and ZCash users.
• He said Midnight targets people who do not seek privacy but get it by default.
• Midnight said its mainnet is scheduled to go live in March as a Cardano partner.
• Charles Hoskinson criticized on-off privacy framing used by Monero and ZCash communities.

Midnight is nearing its mainnet launch, and its founder says it will not chase privacy coin users. Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson said the project is aimed at wider adoption. He spoke during a Q&A at Consensus Hong Kong on Thursday.

Hoskinson said Midnight will not actively recruit Monero and ZCash users. He described them as a different group that already values privacy each day. Midnight, he said, will focus on people who do not ask for privacy tools.

Hoskinson rules out a direct push for Monero and ZCash users

Hoskinson said Midnight does not plan to pull users from Monero or ZCash. “You don’t try to get anybody from Monero or ZCash over,” he said. He added that those communities will arrive “in their own time.”

He described privacy-focused users as a distinct demographic. “Those are people that wake up every day and they really care about privacy,” he said. He said they “matter and they’re important,” but they are not the main target.

Midnight aims for default privacy for broader users

Charles Hoskinson said Midnight is designed for “billions of people” who do not think about privacy. He said many users share data without knowing the risks. Midnight, he said, plans to offer protections as a default setting.

He contrasted that approach with products that make privacy optional. He said people often avoid extra steps, and they keep defaults unchanged. He said Midnight intends to remove that friction, while still serving those who want privacy.

Mainnet launch planned for March as a Cardano partner chain

Midnight announced on Thursday that its mainnet will go live in March. The project described itself as a partner chain to Cardano. The announcement came as Consensus Hong Kong events continued.

Hoskinson’s remarks came soon after that launch timing was shared. He framed the rollout as part of a broader effort to bring privacy features to more users. He did not outline new onboarding plans for Monero or ZCash communities.

Hoskinson challenges the on off view of privacy used by privacy coins

Charles Hoskinson also criticized how privacy is sometimes presented in crypto. He said Monero and ZCash supporters often present privacy as a simple switch. “What Monero and ZCash have been trying to convince people is it’s like a light switch,” he said.

He rejected the idea that one chain is fully private and others are not. “That’s not how that works,” he said. He argued that privacy has levels and contexts, and it varies by use case. He said Midnight’s design aims to match that reality.

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