A heated clash erupted between XRP and Chainlink supporters after Chainlink community member Zach Rynes dismissed XRP Ledger (XRPL) as an 'obsolete ghost chain.' He pointed to XRPL's negligible market share in real-world assets (RWA) — less than 1% — and its tiny stablecoin supply, below 0.01%. The remarks struck a nerve, igniting a fresh social media war.
Ripple's Corporate Strategy under Fire
Rynes didn't stop at technology. He linked XRP to Ripple's corporate moves, arguing the company uses XRP sales to fund share buybacks, acquisitions, and product development — benefiting equity holders, not token holders. 'Owning XRP may mean funding a company that prioritizes shareholders over token holders,' he wrote, a narrative that spread rapidly across crypto Twitter.
Ripple CTO David Schwartz fired back, calling the attack logically flawed. He reiterated that XRP sales are part of a long-disclosed distribution plan, and price dips from sales allow investors to accumulate at lower levels. Attorney Bill Morgan accused Rynes of an 'unhealthy obsession with XRP,' rejecting claims that XRP holders are sidelined. XRPL validator Vet defended the ledger's native order book and automated market maker features. Community member xrpmickle went further, arguing LINK has no economic necessity, calling it 'ETH-issued vaporware' that would still function without its native token.
Chainlink Side Hits Back with Revenue Arguments
Rynes stood his ground, calling Ripple's defense 'elite tier gaslighting.' He maintained that XRP holders do not share in Ripple's upside, as proceeds from token sales flow to acquisitions, development, and stock buybacks. Crypto analyst Fishy Catfish added that Ripple sells XRP to self-fund, while Chainlink generates revenue from its protocol and uses it for LINK buybacks — reportedly about $1.1 million per week.
Rynes also accused an XRP influencer of copying a Chainlink partnership graphic — originally featuring integrations with SWIFT, DTCC, Visa and Mastercard — and rebranding it with XRP, calling it misinformation targeting retail speculators.
Deep-Rooted Rivalry, Divergent Metrics
The feud traces back to 2019, fueled by competition for institutional adoption. XRP advocates point to scale: Ripple has processed over $100 billion in transactions, and XRP ETF inflows are nearing $1.44 billion. Chainlink supporters counter with integrations at SWIFT, DTCC, and JPMorgan Chase.
Despite the animosity, the two projects operate in different lanes — Chainlink in data and oracles, XRP in payments and settlement. In fact, Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin uses Chainlink's price feeds. Even CEOs Brad Garlinghouse and Sergey Nazarov have appeared publicly on good terms, though their communities remain at odds.
Market numbers tell another story: XRP's $91 billion market cap dwarfs LINK's $7 billion — a 13x gap. Yet LINK is down 81% from its all-time high, while XRP's decline stands at 59%. The data, perhaps, speaks louder than any tweet.