Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has simply obtained one other main praise from certainly one of his most vocal allies. Crypto lawyer John Deaton, recognized for backing XRP holders throughout Ripple’s authorized battle with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has referred to as Garlinghouse a prime candidate for the title of “crypto’s Steve Jobs.”
The assertion got here in response to a social media query asking who within the crypto trade may very well be in comparison with the late Apple founder. Deaton named each Garlinghouse and Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong as main figures worthy of that label.
He didn’t clarify his standards, however the implication is obvious: each males have proven robust management in robust authorized environments and have pushed for extra readability in crypto regulation.
Legal Ties And Political Backing Run Deep
Deaton’s assist for Garlinghouse goes again to the early days of the Ripple lawsuit. In 2021, he filed an amicus temporary on behalf of XRP holders, defending the neighborhood’s pursuits in courtroom.
That authorized battle helped solidify their alliance, and it’s continued since. Garlinghouse, in flip, publicly backed Deaton’s Senate run towards Senator Elizabeth Warren.
I believe it comes all the way down to both @brian_armstrong or @bgarlinghouse. https://t.co/j2XE37Ar40
— John E Deaton (@JohnEDeaton1) July 12, 2025
Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase, additionally threw his assist behind Deaton’s political marketing campaign. It’s value noting that each Garlinghouse and Armstrong have squared off towards the SEC in high-profile instances and are actually working to affect crypto coverage via each enterprise and political efforts.
Their corporations additionally contributed to US President Donald Trump’s latest marketing campaign, an indication of their rising involvement in Washington.
Robinhood CEO Also Mentioned In The Conversation
In a follow-up put up, Deaton added a 3rd identify to his shortlist: Vlad Tenev, the CEO of Robinhood. He admitted that Tenev ought to have been included from the beginning.
That addition got here after a crypto consumer named Dave criticized Deaton’s unique decide. According to Dave, Ripple hasn’t delivered a powerful product-market match and lacks the clear path wanted to compete with prime fintech gamers.
Dave claimed that though Ripple has promising items, it hasn’t but linked them. His remarks repeated outdated doubts concerning Ripple’s enterprise mannequin, at the same time as the corporate retains shifting forward with its cost providers.
Ripple Advances With RLUSD And Cross-Border Payments
Ripple shouldn’t be stopped by the criticism, although. The firm is busy increasing its providers. The firm not too long ago put out plans for RLUSD, a stablecoin designed to reinforce worldwide remittances.
The market measurement for that’s roughly $685 billion, and Ripple believes this can be a massive likelihood for it to maneuver additional into worldwide funds.
Featured picture from Quartr, chart from TradingView
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