Ripple's Brad Garlinghouse: AI Layoffs are a ‘Travesty’

Summary

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse discusses the Bullish-Equiniti deal, XRP's growing role as institutional collateral, and why he views AI as a growth accelerant rather than a job killer. He also expresses optimism about U.S. crypto regulation and criticizes tribalism in the crypto space, advocating for a multi-chain future.

• Bitcoin is above $80,000 amid a busy news day at Consensus.
• The Bullish-Equiniti deal is described as the biggest crypto deal ever and a bridge between traditional finance and DeFi.
• Garlinghouse highlights XRP becoming institutional collateral via the Hidden Road acquisition.
• He criticizes Coinbase's layoffs and ties them to over-reliance on speculative trading.
• Garlinghouse argues AI is an unlock for growth, not a reason for layoffs, and Ripple uses it across finance, marketing, and code.
• He is optimistic about U.S. crypto market structure legislation moving forward in the Senate.
• Garlinghouse praises the XRP community but warns against tribalism, stating the future is multi-chain.
• Ripple's mission remains focused on accelerating XRP adoption, liquidity, and trust.