Controversy surrounding Ripple and its XRP cryptocurrency has escalated, with a recent podcast exchange between blockchain expert, Melissa Long, and prominent XRP supporter, Vet, leading to public confrontation. Long, who criticized XRP’s initial vision for banking applications in her podcast appearance, fueled further debate when she argued that the network’s structure and funding approach raised lingering doubts among institutions. Vet countered these claims by highlighting XRP’s genesis, asserting its lack of an ICO-based launch and defending the decentralization model of XRPL which boasts over a thousand nodes and numerous validators. Ripple CTO David Schwartz intervened, challenging Long to engage in a fact-based conversation that could potentially clear up misunderstandings surrounding Ripple’s technology and its role in the wider blockchain landscape. Whether Long accepts this invitation remains to be seen, but the exchange has generated significant interest and underscores Ripple’s willingness to engage directly with critics.