XRP lawyer John Deaton has again heaped praises on Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse’s leadership skills. This time, the legal expert opined that the Garlinghouse can pass as the ‘Steve Jobs’ of the crypto industry.
XRP Lawyer Nominates Garlinghouse As Crypto’s Steve Jobs
In an X post, Deaton stated that he thinks the Steve Jobs of the crypto industry comes down to either Brad Garlinghouse or Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong. The legal expert was directly responding to a question on who could hold such a label in the crypto industry.
I think it comes down to either @brian_armstrong or @bgarlinghouse.
— John E Deaton (@JohnEDeaton1) July 12, 2025
The XRP lawyer didn’t give a particular reason why he believes that the Ripple or Coinbase CEO should be the crypto industry’s Steve Jobs. However, his statement indicates that he considers these stakeholders as visionaries who have contributed to the industry’s growth.
It is worth mentioning that Deaton and Garlinghouse have ties due to the Ripple lawsuit. Deaton had filed an amicus brief on behalf of XRP holders in 2021, similar to the way he is helping some of these holders with his class action suit against Linqto.
Meanwhile, Garlinghouse had shown faith in the XRP lawyer when he endorsed him for the Senate in his race against Elizabeth Warren. Similarly, the Coinbase CEO had also endorsed Deaton.
Both CEOs have also been at the forefront of helping the crypto industry gain regulatory clarity, which could be another reason why Deaton believes either of them could be the crypto industry’s Steve Jobs. Garlinghouse’s Ripple and Armstrong’s Coinbase were both involved in legal battles against the CEO, while they also made significant contributions to Donald Trump’s campaign.
Robinhood’s CEO Also Comes Into The Mix
The XRP lawyer also later mentioned Robinhood’s CEO, Vlad Tenev, as another person who could be the Steve Jobs of the crypto industry. He opined that Tenev needs to be in the discussion and that he shouldn’t have left him out in the first place.
I think @vladtenev needs to be in the discussion as well. I definitely shouldn’t have left him off.
— John E Deaton (@JohnEDeaton1) July 12, 2025
His comment followed a response by a crypto enthusiast, Dave, who opined that Brad Garlinghouse wasn’t in the “same zip code” with respect to product market fit. He further remarked that Ripple has yet to deliver a single coherent business to either consumers or institutions. Dave added that the crypto firm has many of the pieces but has gaps and lacks the product vision to put them together.
Despite his reservations, it is worth mentioning that Ripple is making headway with its payment services. The crypto firm also plans to transform global remittances with RLUSD, targeting the massive $685 billion market.
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Boluwatife Adeyemi
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