Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has publicly distanced himself from the “XRP maximalist” label, insisting the crypto industry will evolve across multiple blockchains rather than a single chain. Speaking at the Consensus Miami conference, Garlinghouse praised the XRP community but emphasized that he wants Bitcoin and other networks to succeed, calling harmful tribalism between crypto ecosystems a drag on the wider market.
Despite this, Garlinghouse reaffirmed that XRP remains Ripple’s “North Star” strategic asset. He noted Ripple is the largest XRP holder and remains accountable to the XRP ecosystem, with recent acquisitions and product expansion aimed at boosting XRP adoption, liquidity, and institutional use. At the same time, Ripple is building in a multi-asset environment, including its RLUSD stablecoin designed for regulated dollar settlement without replacing XRP.
The Ripple boss also turned attention to U.S. crypto legislation, warning that the next two weeks are critical for the Clarity Act. If the Senate Banking Committee does not move forward with a markup soon, the odds of passing the bill could plummet as lawmakers shift focus to November midterm elections. The House passed its version last year, and the Senate Agriculture Committee has advanced its own draft, but delays in the Banking Committee over stablecoin rewards, conflicts of interest, and illicit finance concerns have stalled progress. A compromise between Senators Angela Alsobrooks and Thom Tillis on stablecoin rewards may offer a path forward.
Garlinghouse stressed that agency guidance alone is insufficient because future administrations can reverse policy. “Do I think it’s perfect? Hell no! … But clouty is better than chaos,” he said, echoing his earlier tweet that perfection is the enemy of progress. He also reflected on Ripple’s legal battle with the SEC under former Chair Gary Gensler, noting that Ripple “didn’t fold” and that the era of “regulation by enforcement” is over.
Beyond regulation, Garlinghouse addressed the role of artificial intelligence in crypto. He said AI is helping Ripple grow products and reach more users, not driving layoffs. This contrasts with other firms citing AI as a cost-cutting justification.
