Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has responded to the latest market downturn with one of his most forceful defenses of crypto to date, urging investors not to panic-sell and portraying exits to fiat as a vote for a dystopian future. Speaking from Colorado in a video dated November 15, he noted that “since October, you know, we lost about a trillion dollars of value,” but stressed he has “lived through” multiple boom-and-bust cycles.

Reviewing long-term Bitcoin charts, the Cardano founder mocked the recurring emotional swings of the market. “It goes up, it goes down and everybody freaks the f*** out. Paper hands. So papery,” he said, comparing himself to a calm rider on a violent amusement-park drop, reading a book while others scream.

Cardano Founder Predicts 1 Billion Users By 2030

Hoskinson argued that the sell-off has not been driven by deteriorating fundamentals for crypto, but by leverage, manipulation and trader behavior. “Have any of the fundamentals changed between now and a month ago or 12 months ago about crypto? Have any of the fundamentals changed? Any?” he asked. Instead, he pointed to rising US debt, declining trust in the dollar and worsening geopolitical tensions, describing governments as “morally bankrupt, fiscally bankrupt, and […] destined for Armageddon.”

He ridiculed those selling into dollars amid such a macro backdrop. “You paper hand sons of […] want to go exit into a currency that has nearly $40 trillion of debt,” he said, questioning whether that exit is just to “go buy a car,” “buy some real estate,” or pay down “a little credit card debt.” He called this behavior “collective Stockholm syndrome,” arguing that people are returning to institutions that systematically exploit them.

“Crypto is the opt out. Crypto is the exit. Crypto is the solution,” Hoskinson said. In his view, blockchain systems provide “honest money,” verifiable votes and auditable institutions where “no one can ever change the record to their own convenience.” He claimed there are “550 million people in the cryptocurrency ecosystem” and predicted “there’s going to be a billion by 2030,” adding that “the majority of the world’s stocks and bonds and equities will be in the cryptocurrency space by 2030.”

On markets, he repeated that volatility is secondary to long-term direction. “Goes down, goes up, goes down, goes up […] But it goes up because there’s people,” he said, arguing that adoption and migration of financial markets into crypto will push the asset class toward 10 trillion in value. “Trillion doesn’t even mean anything anymore. The dollar doesn’t mean anything anymore. Everything ought to be priced in crypto because it’s the only place left where there’s a semblance of objectivity and honesty.”

Hoskinson extended his critique to fiat money creation, calling the existing system “a Ponzi scheme.” “The money is worthless because when they print it, they use it themselves, extract all the value, get hard assets with it, and then dump the worthless […] on you, and your wages don’t go up,” he said. In contrast, he argued, “No one can turn off your ADA. No one can turn off your Bitcoin. No one can turn off your Ether.”

He framed on-chain governance and transparency as prerequisites for legitimate institutions, claiming that “no voting in the United States will ever be legitimate again until it’s on a blockchain” and “no company in the United States will ever be fully legitimate, trustworthy, and honest until it’s a DAO.”

He also highlighted privacy-focused technologies such as Zcash, Monero and Cardano’s Midnight sidechain, which he described as “real privacy” and said is being designed to be “fully programmable and soon to be postquantum.”

Despite describing himself as “so thoroughly done” with market panic, Hoskinson said he continues to work in crypto because he believes it is the only realistic path to preserving individual autonomy. “There’s a reason I’m still around and I haven’t retired,” he said. “I honestly still believe we can win.”

For traders unnerved by red candles, his message was uncompromising: “Hold the line. Bring people in. Get crypto going. Get the markets going again.” Selling, he warned, is not a neutral act but “voting to permanently live in that world” of surveillance and control. “Don’t sign up for it. Sign up for crypto. That’s all I’m going to say.”

At press time, Cardano traded at $0.49.