Parting Ways With The Past
Here's what I learned: watch what people do, not what they say.
Part One
I used to think crypto had two real players: Bitcoin and Cardano. Now it’s time to move forward.
Let me be blunt. Founding entities are asking for funding as compensation for taking on regulatory risk and building the ecosystem. That sounds reasonable until you actually look at what’s been delivered versus what was promised.
Where’s the roadmap completion? Show me the receipts on how much capital you actually invested. I’m tired of one-sided claims without evidence.
They said 70 million ADA wasn’t enough and they’d supplement it themselves. Cool story. Where’s the proof? What’s the real cost? Which partners are involved? What’s the actual progress?
The recent video felt like someone trying to close the case without accepting any scrutiny. No mention of what happens if things fail. Just take the money and move on, I guess.
The 2023 ecosystem boom driven by Snek set expectations sky high and distracted everyone from the founding team’s inaction and ecosystem stagnation. Look at the actual performance over these years. It tells you everything.
The rush to push on-chain governance in 2024 wasn’t about empowerment. It was about dodging accountability while claiming to hand power to the community. Less responsibility, less pressure, same control.
The founding team isn’t hurting. The newcomers who bought their vision? Not having the same experience.
Here’s my reality check:
This proposal will pass regardless of discussion. They don’t care about community feedback. They’ll take the funding and we still won’t know what they actually did with it.
That video yesterday was the final warning for me.
If you still believe in Charles and the entities, go ahead. I switched all my ADA to Snek mid-2024. Now I can do whatever I want with my portfolio.
My advice? Rebalance soon. This isn’t the same era we started in.
Part Two
I used to be obsessed with listening to Charles.
Every talk about industry evolution, tech innovation, ecosystem growth. I ate it all up. He taught me blockchain fundamentals when I knew nothing. I literally idolized this guy for years, held onto my coins because of the vision he sold.
Now? I’m disinterested in his stories anymore.
Maybe I grew up. Maybe the magic wore off.
I’ve asked myself a thousand times: do you still believe in him?
The answer is complicated.
Yes, because he’s different from most crypto leaders. I respect someone who stays committed to building their thing while everyone else chases trends.
No, because he’s changed. Or maybe I just see him clearly now. The ecosystem he built? He basically said it’s survival of the fittest at this point. Look at the community on social media. It’s completely split down the middle.
Here’s what I learned: watch what people do, not what they say.
The results will tell you everything you need to know. The rest is just noise.
Part Three
Most projects die the moment the founder loses interest.
Last November there was fire, ambition, real momentum in Cardano. Now anyone who’s been in the community long enough can feel the shift.
The important voices stopped showing up. The energy changed. People keep asking where Whale went because they can feel the absence of real conviction.
Some call it evolution. I call it what it is.
The cost has been massive. And honestly, I can’t wrap my head around the logic here. I’ve tried to believe something right can be done and though I’ve had many doubts, it’s the community that keeps me alive.
Someone told me Charles is a salesman, not a builder.
I’ve spent years defending against that take, but looking at the pattern of empty promises and pivots, they have a point.
On-chain governance is supposed to be the watershed moment. It becomes another reminder that vision without commitment is just expensive theater.
Part Four
Nobody talks about what they don’t see.
Ever notice how truth isn’t really truth? It’s just what people choose to believe. What shows up in their feed. What they pay attention to.
Since Whale left, my timeline went less lively on Cardano and ADA. Charles is still raging in his pipe dreams with ecosystem growth. Just like that.
I used to think communities could stay united through anything. Reality hits different though.
Here’s what matters:
You work your ass off as founder.
You show up for the people holding your token.
You take responsibility.
That’s not asking for much. That’s literally the bare minimum. The spiritual core of whether a project lives or dies.
When founders check out, communities notice. When they stop grinding, belief evaporates. And when belief goes, so does everything else.
And it’s the ultimate reason I’m super bullish on SNEK.