Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has once again taken to defending the Midnight bridge, insisting that there is no intention to harm the Cardano blockchain. The latest defense comes as a response to a Cardano Stake Pool operator, Bliss Pool on X.
Charles Hoskinson rejects claims of permanent one-way bridge design
Hoskinson maintains that there is a deliberate effort by certain critics to twist the facts. According to him, Midnight does not permanently block funds from returning to Cardano. Thus, the claims circulating online that Midnight would only ever have “a one-way bridge” permanently are false.
Hoskinson noted that the critics are suggesting that he and the IOG team made a deliberate business decision to harm Cardano. He argues that the insinuation is false and misleading, as that was not what the “tokenomics paper” suggests.
Notably, Bliss Pool had highlighted that the tokenomics paper actually mentions a one-way bridge. He observed that although the document later discusses a “two-way bridge,” it is technically correct to say that the paper stated it would initially be one way.
The concerns from the community are understandable because, if Midnight remains a one-way bridge, assets moved from Cardano into Midnight cannot return through the same channel. The community critics believe that it could trap liquidity inside Midnight.
This development could easily drain Cardano and allow the Midnight ecosystem to receive the asset flow. In essence, while Midnight could witness growth, Cardano might face certain doom.
Hoskinson’s counterargument is that the critics are misrepresenting issues. The Cardano founder explained that the document describes different bridge phases, including a “two-way bridge,” later on.
For the third time now because people are purposely moving the goal post, The implication was not we would start with a one-way bridge. The implication was there would only ever be a one-way bridge and this was done as a business decision to harm Cardano. It was then used as…
— Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles) April 6, 2026
He decried the fact that people are twisting a temporary design detail and framing it as a permanent policy.
The community probe highlights that even though Midnight is a privacy-focused chain, community members still demand transparency in how issues are handled.
Midnight’s role as privacy layer gains support
Interestingly, this renewed debate is coming after a Cardano DRep, dori, defended Midnight over the weekend.
Dori had insisted that Midnight is neither hurting Cardano nor competing with the chain. Rather, dori believes that it is a partner chain playing a significant role in filling the privacy gap in the crypto space.
The Cardano DRep stated that Hoskinson deserves praise for his vision and for being ahead of many other blockchains that are only now starting to invest in privacy.
Amid the ongoing debate, Midnight is gaining traction and has been listed on Australian crypto exchange CoinSpot. The listing means that users in that region can trade Midnight on the exchange and enjoy privacy features on their transactions.
