Cardano Founder Charles Hoskinson Hints at Potential Collaboration with Dominic Williams and the Internet Computer Protocol (ICP)

This statement has fueled speculation about strategic partnerships and technological advancements within the Cardano ecosystem.

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson recently hinted at a potential collaboration with Dominic Williams and the Internet Computer Protocol (ICP), highlighting the blockchain project’s exclusion from key initiatives.

In a recent podcast appearance, Hoskinson stated, “It’s potentially possible. ICP was very unhappy about being excluded. They were one of the best blockchain candidates for what Wyoming wanted to do, and they were excluded for no reason. It would be interesting to see if perhaps on the litigation side, they’d want to come in if we go down that road. But overall, there’s a lot of good people in that ecosystem. We’ve got great scientists in that ecosystem, too.”

This statement comes after ICP was notably excluded from a group of Layer 1 protocols shortlisted by the state of Wyoming for a bill that would integrate blockchain technology into the state’s legal system. The bill ultimately failed to pass.

Following Hoskinson’s comments, Williams, the Chief Scientist of DFINITY and founder of ICP, responded enthusiastically to the possibility of collaboration, tweeting, “Will definitely reach out to Charles. We’ve known each other since the earliest days of crypto. Would love to do chain key integration.”

no chain integration, no love

This isn’t the first time DFINITY and Cardano have engaged in playful banter. In mid January, DFINITY launched a major protocol upgrade to its canister smart contracts, allowing them to hold 400 GiB of stable memory — enough to store around 17.4 million Ethereum smart contracts or twice the entire Cardano blockchain.

Hoskinson humorously responded, “Thanks for storing Cardano. You can always use that canister to rebuild ICP if you ever need to,” which sparked engagement from the crypto community.

The back-and-forth between DFINITY and Cardano comes as questions swirl around William’s role in the foundation.

According to a recent post in the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce, Dominic Williams’ name as President of the ICP DFINITY Foundation is absent. The post also reveals that the foundation has appointed a Managing Director (Geschäftsführer) in the United States, sparking rumors of a power shift to the U.S.

Despite Williams downplaying the news, stating his Chief Scientist role remains unchanged, the Foundation President position appears to be vacant, and he has yet to comment on it.