Key People Behind XRP & Ripple
The founders, executives, and key figures who built XRP and are shaping its future.
XRP was created by three engineers — Jed McCaleb, Arthur Britto, and David Schwartz — who wanted to build a better Bitcoin. Today, Ripple is led by CEO Brad Garlinghouse, President Monica Long, and CLO Stuart Alderoty. The company has grown from a startup to a $50B+ valuation with 900+ employees across 15 offices globally.
| Key Facts | |
|---|---|
| Original Name | OpenCoin (2012), renamed Ripple Labs (2013), then Ripple (2015) |
| XRP Ledger Launch | June 2, 2012 (ledger #32570) |
| Initial XRP Supply | 100 billion — all created at genesis, no mining |
| Founder Allocation | 20B XRP to founders (McCaleb 9B, Britto & Schwartz ~11B) |
| Ripple Allocation | 80B XRP to Ripple (55B placed in escrow Dec 2017) |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California |
The Three Founders
| Name | Role | XRP Allocation | Status (2026) | Key Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jed McCaleb | Co-founder | 9B XRP (sold by 2022) | Left Ripple 2013; founded Stellar | Conceived original XRP Ledger concept |
| Arthur Britto | Co-founder | ~5.5B XRP (partially held) | Advisory role; very private | Core protocol architecture & consensus design |
| David Schwartz | Co-founder & CTO | ~5.5B XRP (partially held) | CTO Emeritus at Ripple | Built XRP Ledger; 13+ years of protocol development |
McCaleb left Ripple in 2013 over strategic disagreements and founded Stellar (XLM). His agreement to sell 9B XRP over 7+ years created sustained sell pressure until his final sale in July 2022. This was the single largest known source of XRP sell pressure in history.
Current Leadership
| Name | Title | At Ripple Since | Background | Notable Achievement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brad Garlinghouse | CEO | 2015 (CEO 2017) | Yahoo, Hightail, AOL | Led company through SEC lawsuit to $50B+ valuation |
| Monica Long | President | 2013 | Marketing/BD leadership | Longest-serving executive; oversees product & growth |
| Stuart Alderoty | Chief Legal Officer | 2019 | HSBC, CIT Group, AmEx | Architected SEC defense; $125M settlement (vs $2B sought) |
| David Schwartz | CTO Emeritus | 2011 (co-founder) | Cryptography, distributed systems | 13+ years building XRPL; community figure 'JoelKatz' |
| Emi Yoshikawa | VP Corp Strategy | 2019 | Blockchain policy, Japan markets | SBI partnership management; CBDC strategy |
| Markus Infanger | SVP, RippleX | 2020 | Visa, Swift, Deutsche Bank | XRPL ecosystem growth; developer adoption |
Other Key Figures in XRP History
| Name | Role | Period | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Larsen | Co-founder & Exec Chairman | 2012-present | Serial fintech entrepreneur (E-Loan, Prosper); major XRP holder; public face of crypto advocacy in Washington |
| Ryan Fugger | RipplePay Creator | 2004-2012 | Created the original Ripple concept (RipplePay); handed project to McCaleb/Schwartz team |
| Judge Analisa Torres | Federal Judge (SDNY) | 2020-2025 | Ruled XRP is not a security in programmatic sales; landmark crypto ruling |
| Gary Gensler | Former SEC Chair | 2021-2025 | Filed and pursued SEC v. Ripple case; left SEC in 2025 |
| SBI Kitao (Yoshitaka) | SBI Holdings CEO | 2016-present | Ripple's most vocal institutional advocate; drives XRP adoption across Asia through SBI Group |
| Wietse Wind | XRPL Developer | 2017-present | Created XUMM wallet (now Xaman); largest independent XRPL developer |
Frequently Asked Questions
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Now that you know the people, learn about the technology they built and why it matters.
Last updated: February 23, 2026. Written by the AllAboutXRP Editorial Team.
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