Tensions within the XRP community intensified on November 7, 2026, after an emotional post directed at Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse and CTO Emeritus David Schwartz was reposted by several accounts. The criticism centered on a familiar frustration among some holders: that Ripple’s rapid expansion into stablecoins, treasury products, and institutional finance has not translated into stronger demand or price performance for XRP.
The original post came from an XRP commentator known as Fiduciary Ledger 17, who accused Ripple’s leadership of benefiting from years of community support while allegedly diminishing XRP’s economic importance in favor of RLUSD and other enterprise products. The commentator argued that XRP holders stood behind Ripple through years of regulatory uncertainty and the lengthy SEC battle, only to see the company increasingly emphasize products that do not always require the token. The post also called for XRP to reach a “fair value” of $15–$20 or more. These claims reflect the commentator’s own views and do not carry evidence that Ripple has deliberately suppressed XRP’s price.
Garlinghouse pushed back at Swell 2026, reaffirming that XRP is the company’s “North Star” and that Ripple wants to pursue only initiatives that benefit the asset. He acknowledged, however, that XRP will not necessarily be the best tool for every transaction, with fiat or RLUSD sometimes making more sense depending on the use case. In a separate post, Garlinghouse argued that RLUSD does not compete with XRP because it serves a different purpose. Despite Ripple’s partnerships with Coinbase, Robinhood, BNY, and Standard Chartered, XRP remains trading 66% below its all-time high from July of the previous year.
