Brad Garlinghouse is a familiar name for crypto enthusiasts and users as he is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and a member of the Board of Directors of Ripple, a blockchain-based platform that aims to modernize financial transactions.
Garlinghouse is a native of Topeka, Kansas. Before venturing into the field of business and earning many accolades, he completed his education with a BA in economics from the University of Kansas and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Career
The major milestones in the making of Brad Gerlinghouse’s career, and the positions he adorned before being raised to the position of CEO of Ripple, are listed below.
- CEO of Dialpad: 2000-2001
- Senior Vice President at Yahoo: 2003-2008
- President at AOL: 2009-2011
- CEO of Hightail: 2012-2014
- Board Member of Ancestry.com: 2013-2016
- Board Member of Tonic Health: 2011-2016
- Board Member of Animoto: 2012-2017
- President and COO of Ripple: 2012-2017
- CEO of Ripple: 2017-Present
Garlinghouse’s Stint In Ripple
Of all the achievements that he has made in his career, his stint at Ripple is the most treasured one. Garlinghouse joined Ripple as COO in April 2015 and was promoted as its CEO in December 2016.
As the CEO Brad Garlinghouse has made wide contributions to make Ripple the top player in the cryptocurrency and fintech sectors. He has helped in widening the activities of Ripple Net, Ripple’s payment network, to connect financial institutions around the world. The vision is to make Ripple Net a platform to make seamless financial transactions all over the world. The inbuilt policy of decentralization helps in providing transactions that are as simple as sending an email.
During his tenure as the CEO of Ripple, Brad Garinghouse has initiated Ripple’s partnerships with some major powers of the industry such as Santander, American Express, Standard Chartered, and SBI Holdings. These collaborations have helped Ripple to be positioned as the major power in bringing decentralization and blockchain technology to the forefront of world finance.
Technological Innovations In Ripple
As the CEO of Ripple, Brad Garlinghouse has supervised many major technological innovations in the company. An On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) solution was adopted by Ripple to make instant cross-border transactions using XRP.
Ripple also adopted the Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) to its transaction arena to help various Central Banks adopt blockchain technology for transactions of their national currencies.
The innovations brought forth by Brad Garlinghouse were mindful of fostering innovation, protecting consumer interests, and maintaining market integrity. The technical innovations brought forth by Garlinghouse are aimed at bringing a balance to promote sustainable development of the Ripple platform.
Garlinghouse’s innovations in using technology in the Ripple platform have brought significant achievements for the platform along with some daring challenges. Ripple became the leading power in financial technology, and XRP emerged as a leading cryptocurrency in the market. Ripple will continue to contribute to the bright future of blockchain-based financial transactions.
Ripple’s Battle With The SEC
A major challenge faced by Ripple during Garlinghouse’s leadership was its prolonged battle with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The battle began with the SEC suing Ripple and its CEO Brad Garlinghouse for selling XRP as an unregistered security. Garlinghouse nevertheless defended his stand by stating that XRP was a valued digital currency such as Bitcoin.
Even though Garlinghouse fought against the SEC’s regulatory dominance, he was not totally against regulatory oversight of digital financial platforms. He believes that regulatory organizations should not stifle the workings of online financial platforms. Both should work in tandem with each other so that common people benefit from the ease of doing business using digital financial platforms.
The Bottom Line
Brad Garlinghouse was a visionary businessman and strategist throughout his career. He has contributed immensely to the cryptocurrency industry during his stint at the helm of Ripple. Garlinghouse has also fought against attempts of regulatory overbearing and has supported the cause of independence and decentralization to letter and spirit.
