- Charles Hoskinson is one of the co-founder of Ethereum, the second-largest blockchain platform by marketcap.
- Hoskinson also founded Cardano, a third-generation blockchain focused on scalability, sustainability, and formal academic research.
- Midnight, Cardano’s privacy sidechain, will airdrop NIGHT and DUST to 37M wallets across 8 blockchains, excluding VCs entirely
Hoskinson Unveils Midnight’s Glacier Drop
Glacier Drop, a major crypto airdrop tied to Midnight, Cardano’s upcoming privacy-focused sidechain has been announced by Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson.
Hoskinson, speaking at Consensus 2025, noted the airdrop will reach 37 million wallets across eight major blockchains, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cardano, XRP, Solana, Binance Smart Chain, Avalanche, and Polygon.
He added that as a “principled” decision aimed at rewarding the wider community, venture capital firms will be completely excluded from this airdrop, allowing only regular crypto users to receive the tokens.
Accordingly, at the mainnet launch expected by the end of 2025, wallet holders will receive either NIGHT or DUST, two tokens linked to Midnight.
A Cross-Chain Collaboration
Midnight is designed to encourage cooperation between different blockchain networks, allowing developers to use their existing tokens, such as ETH or BTC, to pay fees on the network.
Validators from any supported blockchain can also earn rewards, helping bridge ecosystems without needing to convert tokens.
A Community first approach
Taking a stand for the community, Hoskinson says he rejects offers from venture capitalists focused on hype and short-term gains. Instead the crypto drop will go to individual users, who can choose to hold, trade, or ignore the tokens.
He called on the crypto world to move past rivalries and start working together and said he hopes the project will send a clear message: it’s time to put the community first.
Midnight is currently on testnet. With its full launch coming later this year.
