Over the years, Ripple and XRP have faced hostility beyond typical market skepticism. Lawsuits, regulatory pressureand an unrelenting wave of negative sentiment accompanied the company at almost every step until it finally reached legal resolution with the American SEC in 2025. At the recent XRP conference in Sydney, Australia, Ripple executives spoke openly about what they believe is happening behind the scenes of the previously increased regulatory scrutiny.
Ripple CEO Claims They Were Afraid of XRP
Cryptocurrency analyst X Finance Bull has common latest updates on XRP and Ripple suppression following SEC lawsuit. In a post on X, he presented a video in which Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse talked about the challenges that the company faced at the beginning of XRP’s existence. During the conference, he told participants that the purpose of the token was not because it was tender, but because of the strength of the technology on which it was based.
Garlinghouse said they were “afraid of us,” talking about the “forces” that have been working against Ripple and XRP for years. He argued that the technology behind the project was ahead of its time and posed a threat to existing financial systems. As a result, the threat has created a constant wave of opposition to Ripple and XRP, limiting their development.
He also spoke at the conference, among others: Monica Long, CEO of Ripplehe recalled that the early atmosphere around the crypto company was clearly uncomfortable. She described a period marked by intense hostility towards Ripple, in which she felt disconnected from any wrongdoing committed by the company. She noted that it was more hard to work through because the source of the negativity was never clear.
Long also revealed that he felt no organic criticism from competitors or skeptics at the time. Rather, it seemed to be a force working against the growth of the company and the altcoin that no one was able to fully identify or explain.
The Epstein files connect the dots
Garlinghouse picked up the thread and highlighted it Chris Larsenco-founder and CEO of Ripple, has long insisted that an “invisible negative force” is systemically attacking the crypto company. Ripple’s CEO admitted that he was once skeptical of conspiracy theories and their formulation by Larsen. However, skepticism changed when Epstein’s files became public.
Garlinghouse noticed, as Larsen clearly pointed out Joi Ito, former head of the MIT Media Labas someone who had an agenda against XRP and Ripple. He noted that Gary Gensler, former chairman of the US SEC who led the agency’s lawsuit against Ripple had his own ties to the MIT Media Lab. Ripple’s CEO said that as these connections became apparent through the Epstein dossier disclosures, Larsen’s long-held suspicions began to seem more credible.
The overall argument from Ripple management was that the legal and regulatory pressures the company and token faced were not simply the result of legitimate oversight concerns. In their view, it was likely a coordinated effort by those with institutional power suppress XRP and suppressing the development of Ripple.
Featured image from Adobe Stock, chart from Tradingview.com
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