A four-week-old interview clip of Morgan Creek Capital’s Mark Yusko—resurfaced on Wednesday by the outstanding XRP advocate “Digital Asset Investor” (DAI)—reignited one in every of crypto’s most ritualized arguments: whether or not criticism of XRP is honest evaluation or reflexive tribalism.
XRP Is Not A Scam, Expert Admits
In the edited section, Yusko jokes about “the XRP military,” then acknowledges, “I would’ve stated that XRP is a rip-off… and I really form of stand by it,” earlier than including that value will increase say extra about order move than about underlying performance: “And the truth that an asset will increase in value doesn’t imply that the performance bought higher. It simply signifies that, you realize, there’s extra patrons than sellers. So the worth rises,” he stated.
He additionally riffed on Washington “king-making” ledgers for particular features and poked at rumors after Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse was photographed with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago. DAI framed the repost bluntly: “XRP Is a Dinosaur Coin According to @scottmelker. XRP is a rip-off based on @MarkYusko… When Bitcoin turns into an Altcoin they know the get together is over.”
Scott “The Wolf of All Streets” Melker pushed again virtually instantly—directly distancing himself from Yusko’s characterization and from the complete matter. “I don’t assume XRP is a rip-off,” he wrote. “I don’t actually take into consideration XRP. However, many who do take into consideration XRP get deeply troubled after they assume that somebody may assume one thing unhealthy about XRP. Seems like their drawback, not mine.”
In a follow-up, he clarified that what he discovered “superb” was Yusko’s willingness to say precisely what he thinks, not the concept XRP is fraudulent.
That posture—concurrently rejecting the “rip-off” label whereas calling XRP and Ethereum “dinosaur” cash—tracked with Melker’s public commentary and helped maintain the flare-up throughout Crypto-Twitter in a single day.
Supporters of XRP seized on the second to argue that blanket aspersions are out of step with the undertaking’s authorized and market standing after the five-year SEC combat wound down this month.
The most detailed rebuttal got here from “Cryptoinsightuk,” who argued that the “rip-off” discourse is selectively utilized and misreads each market construction and the latest historical past of enforcement. His core place: “The loopy half about that is XRP isn’t any extra of a ‘rip-off’ than BTC, which isn’t any extra of a “rip-off” than the greenback and the entire monetary system. It blows my thoughts to observe the fixed bombardment of hatred in direction of XRP particularly after which for these throwing out wild accusations”
He additionally pushed again on Yusko’s “king-maker” framing by noting that, for years, US authorities successfully did the other by singling out Ripple and its token for aggressive motion. In his telling, that historical past undermines the concept XRP has benefited from preferential therapy, even implicitly.
Lawyer Bill Morgan (@Belisarius2020) simply commented: “A very ridiculous take. Much anti-XRP FUD comes from the identical sources. It has nothing to do with legitimate criticism of XRP or desire for different cash. It is deliberate FUD.”
On August 8, 2025, the US Securities and Exchange Commission formally ended its lawsuit towards Ripple Labs; District Judge Analisa Torres’ penalties remained in place—most notably a $125 million civil advantageous and an injunction proscribing sure institutional-sale conduct—whereas each side dropped their appeals. The court docket’s 2023 summary-judgment break up nonetheless defines the authorized perimeter: institutional gross sales of XRP had been unregistered securities choices; programmatic gross sales on exchanges weren’t.
That distinction is central to why the “rip-off” cost grates in 2025. The authorized report doesn’t pronounce the token itself fraudulent; it delineates when and the way Ripple’s gross sales practices fell underneath securities regulation.
As for Yusko, his critique within the resurfaced clip is much less about illegality and extra about utility, politics and narrative gravity—an argument that an asset’s value ascent may be disconnected from enhancements in its “performance.”
At press time, XRP traded at $
Featured picture created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com
Editorial Process for bitcoinist is centered on delivering totally researched, correct, and unbiased content material. We uphold strict sourcing requirements, and every web page undergoes diligent evaluate by our crew of prime expertise consultants and seasoned editors. This course of ensures the integrity, relevance, and worth of our content material for our readers.
