Charles Hoskinson, the mastermind behind the revolutionary blockchain platform Cardano, is eagerly anticipating a significant event in June that will shape the Cardano ecosystem.
On June 9th, Hoskinson took to X to announce that Cardano’s upcoming Chang fork is rapidly approaching, with Cardano Node expected to reach version 9.0 by the end of the month. This milestone signifies that the Cardano blockchain is primed for the hard fork, awaiting the installation of the new node by 70% of stake pool operators (SPO).
Hoskinson highlighted that once this threshold is met, a hard fork will take place, propelling Cardano into what he refers to as the “Age of Voltaire,” the latest phase in Cardano’s developmental journey. Each stage of Cardano’s roadmap is named after distinguished figures in poetry and computer science, such as Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Joseph Goguen, Matsuo Bashō, and now, Voltaire.
Voltaire represents the final chapter in Cardano’s roadmap, introducing governance, voting, and treasury management functionalities to the blockchain. This era will empower the community through on-chain consensus and enable ADA holders to participate in decision-making through voting on proposals.
Named in honor of the late Phil Chang, a trailblazer in Cardano governance, the Chang upgrade is poised to usher in a new era of decentralized governance, paving the way for a global civilization with millions of participants.
Hoskinson envisions Chang as a pivotal moment in Cardano’s history, marking the implementation of the most advanced blockchain governance system to date, complete with annual budgets, a treasury, and invaluable insights from the community.
As the much-anticipated hard fork approaches, Cardano’s native cryptocurrency ADA has experienced a significant decline in 2024. Since the beginning of the year, ADA has plummeted by over 26%, dropping from approximately $0.60 to $0.44 at the time of writing, according to data from CoinGecko.
In early April, ADA slipped out of the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, making way for the emergence of Toncoin (TON), a cryptocurrency linked to Telegram.
Looking ahead, Hoskinson remains optimistic about the future of Cardano, foreseeing a decentralized civilization and a flourishing blockchain ecosystem enabled by the Chang upgrade.