Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse Says He Has Never Been an ‘XRP Maxi’

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse stated at Consensus 2026 that he has never considered himself an XRP maximalist and that tribalism hurts the broader crypto industry.

“I’ve never been an XRP maxi,” Garlinghouse said. “Tribalism is bad for our industry. It’s not going to be a one-chain world. It’s going to be a multi-chain world. I want to see Bitcoin be successful.”

The comments came during a discussion about Ripple’s brand and the XRP community, which the interviewer described as one of the most loyal followings in the crypto space.

On the XRP Community

Garlinghouse was open about the value the community has provided while drawing a distinction between community support and chain maximalism.

“The XRP army has been an unbelievable supportive group of allies,” he said. He described XRP Las Vegas, which he attended the previous week, as “the most vibrant, the most active that community has ever been.”

He also explained how far the industry has come. Seven years ago, a central banker he met at Davos expressed surprise at seeing him there, noting crypto was still considered a bad word. That conversation, Garlinghouse said, reflects how dramatically institutional perception has shifted.

Ripple’s Position on XRP

On the question of Ripple’s relationship with XRP, Garlinghouse addressed a common misconception directly. Ripple owns a significant amount of XRP but that ownership does not translate into control over the network.

“That doesn’t give us control of XRP. We’re not proof of stake and how that architecture works,” he said.

He described Ripple’s role as that of the most interested advocate in the XRP ecosystem, with every acquisition and product decision evaluated through a single lens.

“How do we accelerate the adoption, the usefulness of XRP, the liquidity of XRP, and the trust of XRP,” Garlinghouse said. “Hold us accountable. Make us do the work.”