Ripple CEO Faces Backlash Over Attempt to Reframe Anti-Bitcoin Statue

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse’s recent move to rebrand the controversial “Skull of Satoshi” statue as a symbol of Bitcoin’s resilience has sparked widespread criticism across the crypto community. The statue, originally created by Greenpeace USA and artist Benjamin Von Wong, was intended as a protest against Bitcoin’s energy consumption due to its proof-of-work (PoW) consensus mechanism. Constructed from e-waste and recycled materials, the statue was heavily promoted by Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen, who previously partnered with Greenpeace to lobby against PoW.

Garlinghouse’s reframing was met with skepticism, with critics accusing Ripple of attempting to whitewash its prior anti-Bitcoin lobbying efforts. Matthew Sigel, head of digital asset research at VanEck, sarcastically asked if Garlinghouse’s gesture was an apology “to the ugly sculpture” or for funding Greenpeace’s campaign.

While some Bitcoin supporters dismissed the statue as climate propaganda, others ironically embraced it, highlighting ongoing tensions between the Bitcoin and XRP communities. The statue has now been donated by Ripple to the Bitcoin Museum in Nashville, but many see the gesture as insufficient to repair the fractured relationship.

The controversy underscores deeper divides between supporters of PoW and Ripple’s XRP ecosystem, which runs on a different consensus protocol. Ripple’s past lobbying against Bitcoin's PoW design—while promoting XRP as a greener alternative—has fueled criticism of hypocrisy and self-interest.

As the crypto world continues to evolve, the incident serves as a reminder that PR efforts can backfire when the community perceives them as insincere. Whether the Bitcoin community will accept the statue’s new role remains uncertain, but the skepticism surrounding Garlinghouse’s gesture suggests that trust, once broken, is not easily rebuilt.