Cardano is undergoing a major transformation as it adopts a more open and agile development model.
Charles Hoskinson, the blockchain’s founder, announced the shift on May 10, signaling a new chapter in how the network evolves.
Cardano Opens Ecosystem to Speed Up Innovation
According to Hoskinson, the new approach will allow external contributors to participate more actively in building the ecosystem. It also introduces flexible workflows to speed up innovation while preserving the platform’s security principles.
Hoskinson acknowledged that Cardano’s early design favored caution over speed. Its focus on formal verification and long-term planning helped build a secure foundation.
However, he admitted that this same approach slowed development and made it harder for outside teams to contribute.
“The team didn’t want deadlines, focused on purity of practice, and thought in terms of years and decades. This benefited us tremendously in an age of unsafe practices, but also made it difficult for Cardano to grow and thrive,” Hoskinson said.
To address this, Cardano is bringing in smaller and more adaptive teams, such as Aiken and Midgard.
These groups will work alongside established teams like Input Output’s formal verification unit, which uses advanced tools to ensure code safety. The idea is to blend speed with rigor, enabling the network to keep pace with evolving demands.
“In 2025, we are opening up the ecosystem augmented with small agile teams like Aiken and Midgard, while preserving the knowledge, experience, and rigor with IOR and our formal methods group using Agda. We also see different clients that will and should challenge the assumptions, designs, and features of prior teams to accommodate new protocols, economic realities, and our progress as a community,” Hoskinson said.
He furthered that this new hybrid approach will encourage innovation while preserving Cardano’s foundational strengths.
Meanwhile, Hoskinson acknowledged that some community members may resist change and prefer the platform’s earlier methods. Nevertheless, he believes this evolution is necessary for Cardano to reach its full potential.
“There are times I miss the old days. But the new days will be filled with even greater opportunities and exciting new capabilities. That’s the nature of all great products and projects,” the Cardano founder concluded.
The transition has already impacted Cardano’s internal structure.
Several contributors were dismissed after allegedly planning to delay the Leios upgrade to 2028. Hoskinson made it clear that such delays are no longer acceptable.
Jeff Watson, Director of Engineering at Input Output, confirmed that the team is hiring new contractors. These recruits will come from within the Cardano ecosystem and will help push the Leios upgrade forward.
“We are in the process of hiring new contractors through the Cardano ecosystem, vendors with existing Networking expertise. Some time will be needed for onboarding but this is within an acceptable timeframe,” Watson said.
Meanwhile, Cardano’s strategic shift reflects a broader trend across the blockchain industry where rival blockchain networks like Ethereum are releasing upgrades faster to maintain momentum.
Cardano is now positioning itself to do the same, without losing sight of the security-first mindset that built its reputation.
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