Charles Hoskinson, co-founder of Cardano and one of Ethereum's early members, believes that Bitcoin may face a decisive test with the advance of quantum computing.
According to him, the network's ability to respond to new technological threats will be decisive in maintaining its leadership among cryptocurrencies.
Hoskinson entered the cryptocurrency market through Bitcoin about 15 years ago. Since then, he has defended governance models capable of allowing changes without compromising the fundamental principles of a blockchain.
"The problem with Bitcoin is that it is frozen in time. It is very difficult to change anything," Hoskinson told The Starting Block on Friday.
For Cardano's co-founder, this difficulty also contributed to his participation in the creation of Ethereum, alongside Vitalik Buterin. The experience helped shape his view of networks capable of combining security, decentralization, and upgrade mechanisms.
"Cardano is, in many ways, a spiritual successor [to Bitcoin]. It reflects the correction of many things that I think Satoshi was unable to solve due to a lack of knowledge or time, but that were moving in that direction," he said.
Cardano uses the proof-of-stake model and seeks to combine monetary characteristics associated with Bitcoin with programming features found in other blockchains.
The possible evolution of quantum computers is pointed to by Hoskinson as a threat that may require changes to Bitcoin's infrastructure.
"What made Bitcoin so strong was its ability to survive external threats... including the loss of its founder," Hoskinson said. "Quantum computers are another threat... if Bitcoin's governance is such that it is impossible to make significant progress, or if they compromise the main reason for using Bitcoin, I don't think it will continue to be the number one cryptocurrency."
At Cardano, he says that an eventual migration to structures resistant to quantum attacks could be submitted to on-chain governance.