Brad Garlinghouse, Ripple’s CEO, is back in the spotlight after a 2026 Sydney conference clip resurfaced where he casually linked Ripple’s legal woes to the latest Epstein Files drop. Because nothing says “corporate drama” like comparing your blockchain battles to a decades-old scandal involving a guy who definitely shouldn’t be the reason your company’s trending. The comment reframes Ripple’s DC struggles as less “we’re being regulated” and more “we’re being hunted by shadowy tech overlords.” Which, sure, why not?
On stage in Sydney (because Australia is apparently the Silicon Valley of 2026), Garlinghouse said Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen had always been “a little conspiratorial” about forces arrayed against them. Then he added:
“Now that we’ve seen the Epstein files, you’re like, holy guacamole, he was right! And here’s the kicker: they were afraid of us. Not because we were cool, but because our tech was ahead of its time. Like, who does that? Tsk, tsk. And I didn’t realize how prophetic Chris was back then. But hey, better late than never, I guess.”
@bgarlinghouse reveals:
“We rolled our eyes at @chrislarsensf’s ‘evil cabal’ theories. Then the Epstein files hit.
Holy sh*t he was right. They were terrified of us! Our tech was so futuristic, they tried to bury it. #XRP
– Xaif Crypto| (@Xaif_Crypto) March 7, 2026
The video is only now going viral in XRP circles, probably because people forgot where they put it after a few years of crypto-related amnesia. The context? The Justice Department released 3 million+ pages under the Epstein Files Transparency Act-because nothing says “transparency” like dredging up a dead man’s emails.
What’s the Ripple-Epstein link, you ask? Not a business deal, not a secret handshake, but a 2014 email from Blockstream’s Austin Hill to Epstein and others, griping about Ripple and Stellar. Because nothing bonds crypto founders like mutual side-eye over which blockchain is “the one.” In the email, Hill whines that Ripple and Stellar are “bad for the ecosystem” and urges investors to “take your allocation away.” Because nothing says “healthy competition” like gatekeeping.
The Epstein angle? Turns out he had Blockstream ties via a fund linked to Joi Ito. Because MIT connections and shady financiers are just… Tuesday for crypto. Garlinghouse’s point? Ripple wasn’t just fighting regulators-they were fighting a “cool kids’ club” that didn’t want them at the table. But don’t worry, the files don’t prove Epstein personally sabotaged Ripple. Just that he existed and made everyone uncomfortable. Classic.
At press time, XRP traded at $1.34-because nothing says “I’m not a security” like a side of humble pie.
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2026-03-09 13:42