Cardano (ADA) founder Charles Hoskinson (찰스 호스킨슨) has again claimed Cardano can surpass Bitcoin in the long term, fuelling debate in the crypto market.

On June 15, blockchain outlet The Crypto Basic reported that Hoskinson believes Cardano could eventually overtake Bitcoin if sustained investment and community support continue.

Hoskinson said that if the Cardano ecosystem keeps growing, it will strengthen its long-term position in the digital asset market. He has previously said, in April, that he wants ADA to take the top spot on CoinMarketCap. He did not directly mention Bitcoin at the time, but the No. 1 ranking by market value effectively means overtaking Bitcoin.

The issue is that the market does not view the possibility highly. Sweep, a co-founder of Glyde, dismissed the claim as unrealistic. He said ADA would need to grow about 205 times to surpass Bitcoin’s $1.28 trillion market value from its $6.21 billion. That would imply an ADA price rise to around $34.44 from about $0.17, he said.

The timing of the remarks also became an issue. Hoskinson offered this optimism shortly after recently warning that failures could pile up in Cardano ecosystem projects. Market participants responded that internal ecosystem risks should be addressed first.

Another critic, The Wolf of Crypto Streets, argued that given the market structure, it is difficult for any cryptocurrency to surpass Bitcoin in practical terms. He said the overall market still depends heavily on Bitcoin’s price moves, and that most digital assets rise when Bitcoin rises and fall more when Bitcoin falls.

Recent market moves also aligned with that view. The broader crypto market strengthened after reports that geopolitical tensions in the Middle East had eased and that Iran and the United States would sign a peace agreement this week. On the same day, Bitcoin rose 2.24 percent and ADA gained 4.3 percent. ADA rose more, but the market is interpreting it as a joint rise driven by renewed risk appetite and a Bitcoin rebound rather than an independent move separate from Bitcoin.

Hoskinson has nevertheless not backed away from his confidence in Cardano. He has repeatedly said Cardano is the only blockchain ecosystem that can run the world. Still, many point out that Cardano would need to resolve ecosystem stability and community governance issues first to realise that blueprint.

Weaknesses in the Cardano ecosystem have surfaced in several areas this year. Cardano-focused platform TapTools announced plans to shut its service, citing financial difficulties. Some key contributors, including Chicken, also said they plan to leave the ecosystem. Hoskinson’s decision to move Cardano’s main discussion space from X, formerly Twitter, to Discord also fuelled controversy within the community. Critics said the shift could limit open debate and slow community growth and adoption.

Cardano currently lags far behind Bitcoin in both market value and adoption scale. As of now, ADA is the 13th-largest cryptocurrency by market value, while Bitcoin remains No. 1. As a result, Hoskinson’s long-term outlook that Cardano can surpass Bitcoin is expected to hinge for now on whether ecosystem growth can be sustained and whether market confidence can recover.

Charles Hoskinson can keep on dreaming ADA flipping BTC is a 205x from here TWO WEEKS AGO this man posted "I'm taking a break. TTYL" and walked off X Right after warning his own community about a "wave of failures" coming https://t.co/Qjbn2hsbp3 pic.twitter.com/UEBekpZYuE