Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson takes aim at Ripple CEO in new interview

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has openly criticized Ripple Labs CEO Brad Garlinghouse for supporting the Clarity Act in its current form.

In an interview with Memes and Markets, the ADA founder stated that he gave up on the Clarity Act to unlock crypto innovation in the United States. As such he called out Garlinghouse for supporting the Clarity Act amid its debate in the U.S. Senate. 

“You climbed up the ladder and you pulled the ladder up so no one else can climb up with you,” he stated during the Mems Market interview on March 2, 2026. 

Cardano’s Hoskinson counters Ripple’s support for the Clarity Act

Hoskinson has repeatedly highlighted that the Clarity Act in its current form heavily undermines crypto growth in the United States. Furthemore, he believes that the Clarity Act in its current form will force the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to act like the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 

“We can’t have a system where you start as a security as a default. You’ll never get liquidity, you’ll never get listing, you’ll never accumulate a user base, and you can’t fundraise,” Hoskinson noted.

Meanwhile, in a recent interview with Fox Business, Garlinghouse reiterated Ripple’s support for the Clarity Act. He urged the crypto leaders, led by Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, to avoid perfection as it will kill a good bill.

Notably, Garlinghouse helped XRP achieve regulatory clarity in the United States through a court process, which resulted in the SEC acknowledging that it is not a security.

What’s David Schwartz’s stance?

In response to Hoskinson’s criticism, former Ripple Chief Technology Officer (CTO) David Schwartz defended Garlinghouse’s move to support the Clarity Act. According to Schwartz, Ripple’s Garlinghouse supports crypto legalization but remains keen to get the best from the Clarity Act.

“Personally, I do think a sub-optimal bill is better than no bill at all. But it also makes sense to fight for the best bill we think we can get,” Schwartz stated. 

What’s next for the crypto market structure bill?

Under the directive of President Donald Trump, Patrick Witt, the President’s Council of Advisers for Digital Assets, urged the banks to reciprocate and strike a deal on the stablecoin yield. 

Already, the March 1 deadline for banks and crypto to bridge the gap on stablecoin rewards, has passed with no compromise.

Featured image via Messari YouTube