Ripple’s Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty has clarified a major misconception about decentralization in cryptocurrencies.
In a recent tweet on X (formerly Twitter), he explained that Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP all share a common trait: none of them have a CEO. This was in response to a post from the National Cryptocurrency Association (NCA), which said Bitcoin’s lack of a CEO represents blockchain independence and neutrality.
Decentralization is More Than Bitcoin
Alderoty said that the idea of decentralization should not be linked only to Bitcoin. He explained that this concept is part of how all open, permissionless networks are designed to work.
“Yes, Bitcoin doesn’t have a CEO, but that’s not ideology. It’s the fundamental design of all open, permissionless tokens,” Alderoty wrote. Ethereum, XRP, Solana, and Cardano also operate the same way, with no one in control and everyone free to participate.
“When a network is open and permissionless, no one sits at the center deciding who can participate, validate transactions, or build on top of it,” Alderoty said. He said that policymakers have a risk of making poor regulatory decisions if they treat Bitcoin as the only truly decentralized system. According to him, ignoring other decentralized projects could limit progress and innovation across the crypto world.
The National Cryptocurrency Association had earlier shed light on this misconception, saying decentralization defines more than one token. The group added that millions of people use cryptocurrencies for access and inclusion. “The crypto story is bigger than any single token,” the NCA said, as it highlights that over 55 million Americans now use digital assets to improve their financial lives.
XRP’s Independence from Ripple
Ripple’s CEO Brad Garlinghouse also clarified that XRP is decentralized and operates independently from Ripple.
“XRP is a digital asset that’s native to the XRP Ledger—an open-source, permissionless, and decentralized blockchain technology,” according to the XRP Ledger blog post. Ripple remains a technology company, while the XRP Ledger is maintained by an independent network of validators.
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