Brad Garlinghouse took the stage at XRP Las Vegas to confront a long-running narrative: that Ripple is quietly distancing itself from XRP in favor of stablecoin RLUSD and enterprise products. “I always thought it was funny and strange that people questioned Ripple’s commitment to XRP,” he said. “Today, Ripple is still the largest holder of XRP on the planet. We are the most interested party in seeing XRP be successful. We will continue to be the most interested party.”
The North Star: Utility, Liquidity, Trust
Garlinghouse dismissed the doubt itself as logically flawed. He outlined three core objectives for XRP: become the most useful, most liquid, and most trusted digital asset. He framed every Ripple move, even those not obviously XRP-related, as serving these goals. “Even if it doesn’t have a direct line from point A to point B, it may be point A to point B to point C. It’s all in service of how we expand, grow, and drive liquidity, utility, and trust in XRP.”
RLUSD Is Not Replacing XRP
Addressing community fears that RLUSD might supplant XRP, Garlinghouse acknowledged the perception but rejected the conclusion. He also noted he doesn’t feel obliged to publicly explain every strategic decision, partly because doing so hands intelligence to competitors. “I don’t feel the need to constantly update the whole world about our strategy,” he said.
Record Year and a Brutal Travel Week
Garlinghouse revealed Ripple now employs 1,300 people and is having a record year on multiple metrics. He had just completed a grueling international trip covering Dublin, London, Singapore, and Sydney in a single week—something he described as “too much” and said he would not repeat.