This dispute has struck at the core of the XRP narrative, quickly igniting a fierce reaction from its community and escalating a long-standing rivalry into a new social media war.
The Spark Igniting the XRP Community
One perspective suggests that holding XRP might mean funding a company that prioritizes shareholders over token holders. This argument quickly gained traction on Crypto Twitter, sparking intense reactions.
XRP Supporters Strike Back
Chainlink proponents were equally vocal, with Rynes asserting that Ripple's defense was "elite-level gaslighting" and insisting that XRP holders do not share in the company's gains. He pointed out that proceeds from XRP sales were used for acquisitions, product development, and stock buybacks, all benefiting Ripple's shareholders.
Concurrently, Rynes accused an XRP influencer of plagiarizing Chainlink's partnership graphics, which originally showcased integrations with SWIFT, DTCC, Visa, and Mastercard. The influencer allegedly replaced the branding with XRP, labeling it as misinformation that fuels retail speculation.
Years of Rivalry
Rynes traced the roots of this dispute back to 2019, citing a competition for institutional adoption. XRP supporters highlighted Ripple's scale, including over $100 billion in processed transactions and nearly $1.44 billion in ETF inflows.
Conversely, Chainlink supporters emphasized their integrations with major financial players like SWIFT, DTCC, and JPMorgan.
Not Direct Competitors – Yet the Battle Rages On
Despite the heated debate, the two projects operate in different spheres. Chainlink focuses on data, oracles, and interoperability, while XRP aims for payments and settlement. In fact, Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin already utilizes Chainlink's price feeds.
Nevertheless, XRP boasts a significantly higher market capitalization than LINK, standing at $91 billion compared to LINK's $7 billion, a thirteenfold difference. LINK remains 81% down from its all-time high, while XRP is relatively closer, down 59%.