Brad Garlinghouse is a well-known and influential figure in the crypto space. Though he has held senior roles in many high-profile companies, including internet giants AOL and Yahoo, he is most popular for his current role as CEO of Ripple, the leading provider of crypto-enabled solutions for businesses.
Under his leadership, Ripple has made significant progress in developing innovative financial products, positioning the company as a major player in fintech. He is also one of the biggest cryptocurrency advocates, and expects the crypto market to double in size by the end of 2024.
Garlinghouse’s net worth is estimated to be around $9 billion at the end of April 2024.
Brad Garlinghouse key info
| Name | Brad Garlinghouse |
| Birth date | February 6, 1971 |
| Net Worth | $9 Billion |
| Birthplace | Topeka, Kansas |
| Education | University of Kansas and Harvard Business School. |
| Known for | CEO of Ripple |
| Marital status | Married to Kristen Elizabeth Mautner |
Brad Garlinghouse net worth
Most of Garlinghouse’s net worth comes from his holding of XRP tokens, the native cryptocurrency on the Ripple network. He also reportedly holds a 6.3% stake in the wider Ripple organization.
Though there is no public information on how many $XRP tokens Garlinghouse owns, he is believed to own a significant amount, considering he was an early investor in Ripple. He also holds other cryptocurrencies in his portfolio, including Bitcoin, XRP and Ethereum.
Garlinghouse is bullish on NFTs as well, but there is no information on whether he holds any of the existing collections or not.
Although little information is publicly available, Garlinghouse’s net worth is estimated to be around $9 billion.
Early life, education and career
Born on February 6, 1971, in Topeka, Kansas, Garlinghouse received a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Kansas and completed his MBA at Harvard Business School in 1997.
Garlinghouse started his career with Home Network, a high-speed internet cable provider, and Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on early-stage tech companies. In 2000, he became the CEO of Dialpad, a company specializing in VOIP services and computer-to-computer calling services, and worked there for about three years.
In 2003, Garlinghouse joined Yahoo! as a Senior Vice President for the Communications, Community, and Front Doors. At Yahoo! he authored an internal memo titled Peanut Butter Manifesto, where he urged the company to focus on its core business, rather than “spreading too thin like peanut butter.”
After five years at Yahoo!, Garlinghouse briefly worked as a senior advisor at Silver Lake Partners and, in 2009, joined Yahoo!’s biggest competitor, AOL, as President of Applications and Commerce.
After leaving AOL, Garlinghouse became CEO of Hightail (formerly YouSendIt). In 2014, he left the file-sharing site after a disagreement with the board, and this is when he came across Ripple.
Ripple – the company he nurtured
In 2015, Garlinghouse joined Ripple as its COO despite having minimal experience in the payments sector. In a later interview, talking about his joining Ripple, Garlinghouse revealed that Co-founder and then-CEO Chris Larsen wanted someone from outside the system.
Garlinghouse’s outsider perspective proved successful. In 2016, he was promoted to CEO, replacing the co-founder himself.
Ripple, under Garlinghouse’s leadership, reached new heights, including achieving a crucial $200 million in Series C funding in 2019. In 2021, Ripple was included in CNBC’s Disrupter50 list.
Garlinghouse vs SEC
In 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) lodged a complaint against Garlinghouse, Ripple, and Ripple Chairman Chris Larsen, alleging multiple breaches of securities law.
In one of his interviews, Garlinghouse noted that Ripple’s transparency alone opened them to such attacks. He also criticized the SEC for the lack of clarity on crypto regulations.
After a series of court proceedings, the jury ruled in favor of Garlinghouse. In late 2023, the SEC dropped all charges against Garlinghouse and Larsen.
“For nearly three years, Chris and I have been the subject of baseless allegations from a rogue regulator with a political agenda,” Garlinghouse said in a press release after the SEC voted to dismiss charges.
“Instead of looking for the criminals stealing customer funds on offshore exchanges that were courting political favor, the SEC went after the good guy.”
Is Garlinghouse anti-Bitcoin?
Garlinghouse is pro-crypto and a firm believer in crypto’s potential to be the future of global financial infrastructure. For this reason, he admires Bitcoin (BTC), but since $BTC is a Ripple rival, he has touted Ripple’s superiority over Bitcoin on several occasions.
On several counts, the Ripple CEO took a dig at Bitcoin’s inability to process transactions very quickly and presented Ripple as an alternative.
“I’m bullish on BTC as a store of value, but not for payments. You don’t want to use BTC at Starbucks b/c by the time you get your coffee, it’ll be cold,” Garlinghouse said at the WSJ forum in 2020.
Despite the Ripple CEO’s consistent jabs at BTC, he has always admitted to being a Bitcoin bull and believes it to be a better store of value.
Final Words
Garlinghouse is undoubtedly one of the most influential figures in the crypto industry. His vast experience as a tech expert and an efficient administrator has helped transform Ripple into one of the biggest crypto firms currently.
Although he is known more for his business acumen, he is also a philanthropist. He has made massive donations to many non-profit projects, including the Red Cross and the Children’s Health Fund.
