Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse pokes at Bitcoiners – ‘Slow weekend…’

• Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse sparked debate amid rising tensions between Bitcoin and XRP supporters.
• XRP faced a price drop amid a market downturn and escalating internal disputes within the crypto community.

Ripple [XRP] CEO Brad Garlinghouse has recently weighed in on the growing discord between Bitcoin [BTC] enthusiasts and XRP supporters, a rift that has gripped the crypto community.

The feud started when President Donald Trump suggested exploring a transition from a Bitcoin-centric reserve system to one embracing a broader range of cryptocurrencies.

This fueled speculation and heightened tensions between the two camps.

While Ripple users rallied around the proposal, seeing it as an opportunity for XRP to play a pivotal role, Bitcoin maximalists remained staunchly opposed, advocating for Bitcoin’s exclusivity on the national balance sheet.

Ripple’s CEO and the crypto community

Seeing this rising tension, Ripple CEO, Brad Garlinghouse took to X and noted with a hint of sarcasm, 

“Slow weekend, anything exciting happen?”

This stirred further debate, with many X users weighing in.

For instance, a user said,

“Ripple already has clarity. Gary Gensler is already out of the SEC. The new chairman of the SEC is pro-crypto. Why the case has not been dropped yet ??? Come on Brad.”

Adding to the fray was Pierre Rochard, VP of Research at Riot Platforms, who said, 

“You want the government to buy XRP, and yet Ripple is a mass seller of XRP? With all due respect, walk the walk if you want to have any credibility.”

This highlights that the crypto industry, which once sought to portray a unified front after significant victories last year, is now witnessing an intense clash between two of its largest communities.

What caused the conflict?

The feud primarily grew when Pierre Rochard of Riot Platforms accused Ripple of pushing against the Bitcoin reserve idea and supporting a multi-crypto alternative instead.

And when Garlinghouse appeared to validate these claims, it sparked outrage among Bitcoin maximalists, who support a Bitcoin-only Federal Reserve.

Execs weighing in

Strike founder Jack Mallers accused Ripple of jeopardizing American “prosperity” and “freedom” through its lobbying efforts, while Swan Bitcoin’s Brady Swenson dismissed XRP as a “centralized scam.”

Adding to the hostility, Bitcoin advocates Samson Mow claimed that Ripple has not yet received the level of criticism it deserves, further intensifying the divide in the crypto world. 

He said, 

Source: Samson Mow/X

Impact on XRP’s price

Amidst the escalating tensions between Bitcoin and Ripple supporters, XRP has been adversely affected, with its price falling to $2.76 after an 11.03% drop in the past 24 hours, according to CoinMarketCap.

This decline, however, may also be attributed to the broader downturn in the cryptocurrency market, which has seen a 7.11% decrease in the global crypto market cap, now standing at $3.35 trillion.

In conclusion, internal disputes coupled with market volatility have created a challenging environment for XRP, leaving its price movements uncertain.