No CEO for XRP: Ripple-CLO explains the background!

No CEO for XRP: Ripple-CLO explains the background!

On October 16, 2025, Stuart Alderoty, Ripple's Chief Legal Officer, made clear statements about the structure of the cryptocurrency XRP and its relationship to the Ripple company. Alderoty noted that XRP does not have a CEO, which is an important distinction from Ripple itself. Ripple, the payment services company with CEO Brad Garlinghouse, and XRP, the digital asset that powers the XRP Ledger, are therefore not only legally but also functionally different entities. This distinction is crucial to avoid misunderstandings regarding cryptocurrency governance.

The XRP Ledger itself was launched back in 2012 as an open, permissionless and decentralized blockchain network. Alderoty responded to a tweet from the National Cryptocurrency Association (NCA) that pointed out that Bitcoin also does not have a CEO. He emphasized the importance of the independence and neutrality of open blockchains, explaining that in such systems there is no central authority that controls participation or validation of transactions.

Importance of the “No CEO” concept

Alderoty noted that the lack of a CEO should not be understood as an ideological statement, but rather as a fundamental design feature of open and permissionless tokens. This structure reminds decision makers and the public that true decentralization is an essential feature of crypto networks.

By stating that Bitcoin does not have a CEO, Alderoty wants to clarify that this also applies to other cryptocurrencies such as XRP. He also warned against the misleading assumption that the “no CEO” argument is only relevant to Bitcoin, as such a view could jeopardize the political and social acceptance of cryptocurrencies.

History of XRP

The development of XRP began with a team consisting of David Schwartz, Jed McCaleb and Arthur Britto, who contributed significantly to the launch of the currency after the completion of the XRP ledger in June 2012. After the launch of the XRP Ledger, 80% of the tokens were given away to a newly founded company that was responsible for developing use cases for XRP. This company was initially known as NewCoin and later as OpenCoin before eventually adopting the name Ripple. This history is central to understanding the relationship between XRP and Ripple and shows the roots of decentralization within the platform.

Overall, Alderoty's explanations illustrate the complexity and different dimensions of the cryptocurrency landscape and highlight the need for clear communication about the functioning and structure of the actors involved.