The Founders
Jed McCaleb
Serial crypto entrepreneur. Created Mt. Gox (first major Bitcoin exchange), co-founded Ripple, then left to create Stellar (XLM). Brilliant but controversial figure in crypto history.
Chris Larsen
Fintech veteran who previously founded E-Loan and Prosper. Brought business acumen to Ripple. Still serves as Executive Chairman. One of crypto's first billionaires.
Arthur Britto
The quiet technical genius. Designed core XRPL architecture. Remains largely out of public eye but holds significant XRP. Essential to XRP's creation.
Timeline
Concept Development
Jed McCaleb begins working on a new cryptocurrency after selling Mt. Gox. Recruits Chris Larsen and Arthur Britto.
XRP Ledger Launches
XRP Ledger goes live. All 100 billion XRP created at genesis. OpenCoin (later Ripple) founded to commercialize the technology.
OpenCoin → Ripple Labs
Company rebrands to Ripple Labs. Begins pursuing bank partnerships. XRP gains early exchange listings.
Jed McCaleb Departs
Internal conflict leads to Jed leaving. He agrees to sell his 9 billion XRP over 7+ years. Goes on to found Stellar.
Brad Garlinghouse Becomes CEO
Former Yahoo executive takes the helm. XRP explodes to $3+ in the 2017 bull run. Becomes #2 crypto briefly.
SEC Lawsuit Filed
SEC sues Ripple, Garlinghouse, and Larsen for selling unregistered securities. Dark period begins.
Ripple Wins Key Ruling
Judge rules XRP is not a security on exchanges. Major victory. Jed completes his XRP sales.
Current Leadership
Brad Garlinghouse
CEO since 2017
David Schwartz
CTO • "JoelKatz"
Chris Larsen
Executive Chairman
Stuart Alderoty
Chief Legal Officer
Frequently Asked Questions
XRP was created by Jed McCaleb, Chris Larsen, and Arthur Britto in 2012. They built the XRP Ledger as a faster, more efficient alternative to Bitcoin for payments.
No. XRP has nothing to do with Satoshi Nakamoto (Bitcoin's creator). XRP was created by a known team of developers led by Jed McCaleb.
Technically, XRP was created before Ripple (the company). The founders created XRP and the XRP Ledger in 2012, then formed Ripple Labs (originally OpenCoin) to build commercial products using XRP.
Jed McCaleb is a co-creator of XRP, founder of Mt. Gox (early Bitcoin exchange), and later founded Stellar (XLM). He left Ripple in 2014 but retained billions of XRP which he sold over 8 years.
Brad Garlinghouse has been CEO since 2017. David Schwartz (one of the original XRPL architects) is CTO. Chris Larsen remains Executive Chairman.