TLDR
- Charles Hoskinson has accused Cointelegraph of defamation over its coverage of the $600 million ADA voucher controversy.
- The Cardano founder demands a retraction from Cointelegraph, stating that requiring journalistic integrity is not pressure.
- An independent forensic audit cleared Hoskinson of any wrongdoing, finding that 99.7% of ADA vouchers were redeemed correctly.
- Hoskinson urges other cryptocurrency projects to pull ads from Cointelegraph and avoid attending its events.
- Cointelegraph’s editor-in-chief Jon Rice has refused to retract the story despite the audit’s findings and Hoskinson’s demands.
Charles Hoskinson, CEO of Input Output Global (IOG), has strongly criticized Cointelegraph for spreading false information. He accused the crypto news outlet of defamation over a report concerning $600 million worth of ADA vouchers. Hoskinson has demanded an apology and warned other crypto projects to distance themselves from Cointelegraph.
ADA Voucher Controversy Explained
The controversy began in May when NFT artist Masato Alexander claimed that Hoskinson misused his genesis key to steal ADA tokens. Alexander alleged that the Cardano ledger was manipulated, leading to the loss of $600 million in ADA vouchers. Hoskinson denied the accusations and stated that most of the vouchers were redeemed by ICO participants.
It's come to my attention that apparently @Cointelegraph's editor in chief refuses to publish a retraction about the story they ran on the alleged ada voucher theft.
Apparently, they will run a story that we are "pressuring them". Telling people to tell the truth about what…
— Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles) September 28, 2025
Despite the claims, an independent forensic audit conducted by McDermott Will & Emery and BDO found that 99.7% of the ADA vouchers were correctly redeemed. The remaining unclaimed tokens were allocated to fund ecosystem grants through Interspect, a Cardano governance body. The audit’s exoneration of Hoskinson undermined the allegations and called for accountability from the news outlet.
Charles Hoskinson Calls for Action Against Cointelegraph
Hoskinson criticized Cointelegraph for its refusal to retract the story despite the audit’s findings. He accused Jon Rice, Cointelegraph’s editor-in-chief, of refusing to correct the misinformation.
“Requiring basic journalistic integrity does not constitute pressure,” Hoskinson remarked, addressing the publication’s refusal to issue a retraction.
The Cardano founder further advised other cryptocurrency projects to remove their ads from Cointelegraph and not attend Cointelegraph events, urging them to avoid legitimizing the outlet. According to Hoskinson, the continued spread of false information harms the crypto community and undermines trust in journalism.
