Ripple once weighed shutting down and handing XRP to shareholders, CEO says
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse revealed that he and co-founder Chris Larsen briefly considered shutting down the company and distributing XRP to shareholders after the SEC sued Ripple in 2020, alleging XRP was an unregistered security. They ultimately chose to fight the lawsuit to preserve jobs, incurring about $150 million in legal fees over four years. The case concluded with a federal judge ruling that XRP is not a security, followed by a settlement last year under new SEC leadership that has taken a more crypto-friendly stance.


