
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has simply acquired one other main praise from one among his most vocal allies. Crypto legal professional John Deaton, recognized for backing XRP holders throughout Ripple’s authorized battle with the US Securities and Change Fee (SEC), has known 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 might 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 evident: each males have proven robust management in robust authorized environments and have pushed for extra readability in crypto regulation.
Authorized 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 transient on behalf of XRP holders, defending the group’s pursuits in court docket.
That authorized struggle helped solidify their alliance, and it’s continued since. Garlinghouse, in flip, publicly backed Deaton’s Senate run towards Senator Elizabeth Warren.
I feel 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 price noting that each Garlinghouse and Armstrong have squared off towards the SEC in high-profile instances and at the moment are working to affect crypto coverage by each enterprise and political efforts.
Their firms additionally contributed to US President Donald Trump’s latest marketing campaign, an indication of their rising involvement in Washington.
Robinhood CEO Additionally Talked about In The Dialog
In a follow-up put up, Deaton added a 3rd title 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 person named Dave criticized Deaton’s unique decide. In accordance with Dave, Ripple hasn’t delivered a powerful product-market match and lacks the clear route wanted to compete with prime fintech gamers.
Dave claimed that though Ripple has promising items, it hasn’t but related them. His remarks repeated previous doubts relating to Ripple’s enterprise mannequin, at the same time as the corporate retains transferring forward with its cost companies.
Ripple Advances With RLUSD And Cross-Border Funds
Ripple shouldn’t be stopped by the criticism, although. The corporate is busy increasing its companies. The corporate not too long ago put out plans for RLUSD, a stablecoin designed to reinforce worldwide remittances.
The market dimension for that’s roughly $685 billion, and Ripple believes it is a massive likelihood for it to maneuver additional into worldwide funds.
Featured picture from Quartr, chart from TradingView

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