Ripple CEO Most Anticipated Interview on 60 Minutes Now Live

The highly anticipated 60 Minutes interview featuring Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse is now live. 

The interview aired yesterday, several weeks after Garlinghouse confirmed he would appear on the American television program. At the time, Garlinghouse pointed out that the program host, Margaret Brennan, interviewed him about crypto, especially how the industry has been advocating for regulatory clarity. 

Following the release of the interview, Garlinghouse emphasized that crypto made its debut on 60 Minutes and added that the technology will continue to go mainstream. 

Crypto made its debut on @60Minutes tonight – there’s no doubt that these technologies will continue to become more and more mainstream – with influence and reach that will only continue to grow.

A few things I do want to comment on after watching:

I spoke with Margaret…

— Brad Garlinghouse (@bgarlinghouse) December 9, 2024

Ripple CEO Frustrated with 60 Minutes Omission of XRP Legal Clarity 

However, he expressed frustration with how the program portrayed cryptocurrencies, while failing to mention important details about XRP and Ripple’s operations.  

Garlinghouse pointed out that during their discussion about the SEC v. Ripple lawsuit, the television program shockingly omitted a key development in the case, where a federal judge declared that XRP is not a security in itself. 

In the interview, Garlinghouse said he is a Harvard Business School alumnus with good knowledge about what constitutes securities. The Ripple CEO noted that he has never considered XRP to be a security.  

However, 60 Minutes immediately aired a segment of former SEC official John Reed Stark’s interview, in which he claimed that several U.S. judges believe cryptocurrencies are securities. 

Garlinghouse Refutes 60 Minutes Claim About Crypto 

In addition, the Ripple CEO refuted 60 Minutes’ claim about crypto, which suggested that the asset class has no utility. Interestingly, he compared these claims to those shared during the early days of the internet, when many indicated that the technology is mainly used to foster illicit activity.

He highlighted the shift in perception about blockchain among traditional financial institutions. Specifically, the Ripple CEO pointed out that American multinational financial institution JPMorgan Chase is embracing blockchain, the underlying technology behind cryptocurrencies. 

Furthermore, Garlingouse criticized 60 Minutes for not mentioning how Ripple is transforming global payments by facilitating billions of dollars’ worth of KYC-compliant transactions for its institutional clients. 

According to him, Ripple leverages XRP through its payment solution to move money cross-border more efficiently than traditional systems. 

Other Crypto Enthusiasts Criticize 60 Minutes 

Meanwhile, other crypto enthusiasts also slammed 60 Minutes’ for the interview with Garlinghouse, with many suggesting that the program made malicious claims about crypto. 

An X user accused the show of ‘setting up’ Garlinghouse in a bid to undermine crypto. The user suggested that 60 Minutes implied that crypto stole the last election through hefty donations. 

For context, 60 Minutes emphasized that crypto companies accounted for one-third of all direct corporate contributions to Super PACs in the last election. It pointed out that Ripple and two other crypto companies contributed $144 million to a Super PAC supporting pro-crypto candidates across Republican and Democratic Parties.   

Additionally, other X users described the 60 Minutes interview as a ‘hit piece’ orchestrated against cryptos by corporate media, driven by resentment over the outcome of the last election.