Charles Hoskinson

Charles Hoskinson is a previous Proof of Talk speaker and CEO and founder of Input Output Group. His professional work is associated with Cardano, and he was a co-founder of Ethereum. His current company works across blockchain infrastructure, research and engineering, with Cardano and Midnight among the systems described in its portfolio. These organizational and project roles connect his professional work to the design, development and operation of decentralized networks.

Input Output was established in 2015. Its work on Cardano spans the network’s evolution from its initial mainnet to smart contracts, scaling and community governance. The company describes its later venture studio portfolio as including Midnight, Lace, Catalyst, Blockfrost, RealFi and partner chains. That portfolio covers several different functions around blockchain use, including network development, application access and supporting infrastructure. Cardano is a blockchain project associated with Hoskinson; Input Output Group is the company he leads.

Privacy has been another part of his recent professional engagement. Input Output’s January and February 2026 Midnight Japan tour billed him as its CEO and founder and focused on privacy-enhancing technology. The company describes Midnight as a blockchain built around programmable privacy and selective disclosure. Those concepts concern how applications can use information while giving participants control over what is revealed, adding a distinct technical focus to the company’s work on decentralized systems.

In a July 2026 interview with The Block, Hoskinson discussed Cardano’s future, decentralized governance, its onchain treasury and Midnight. Independent reporting on his May 2026 keynote also covered his discussion of AI agents, identity and control over data and assets. These appearances document the range of his public professional subjects, from the governance of existing blockchain communities to the infrastructure needed for privacy and automated applications.