Jed McCaleb’s departure from Ripple in 2014 sparked rumors, but it could have been part of the strategy.
Ripple and Stellar are by no means competitors, they are complementary projects within their global payment plans.
Jed McCaleb’s exit coincided with Ripple’s expansion into the institution’s financial and global payments system.
Jed McCaleb’s departure from Ripple in 2014 has long been the subject of speculation. Many believed that was the end of his involvement in the company, but what if it didn’t break up? What if Jed’s split was a strategic move and part of a larger plan to create a parallel blockchain system?
Ripple & Stellar: Not a split
Jed McCaleb, one of Ripple’s co-founders, was important in designing the early frameworks of XRP. He helped build the architecture of XRP and contributed to Ripple’s initial success. After some disagreements, Jed McCaleb left Ripple in 2014 and soon began Stellar (XLM).
(1/🧵) Jed did not leave the ripples. He was assigned to start the star.
You were told it was all dropped.
But what if Jed McCaleb’s division didn’t break up…
Was it a development?
And what if XRP and XLM were never rivals, what if there were no two weapons on the same global plan?
Let’s dive deeper:
pic.twitter.com/0v53gexe3j– StellarRippler🚀 (@Stellarnews007) April 26, 2025
Many people thought it was a breakup, but the timing seems like a planned move. It happened as Ripple is growing in the world of large money and global payment systems.
Ultimately, looking at the timing of Jed’s departure, it is perfectly in line with the institutional expansion of Ripple, the rise of the ISO 20022 standard, and discussions by global financial institutions such as the WEF regarding the future of IMF, BIS, and payments.
This suggests that Jed had not left. He was deployed to launch the second half of the Global Payment Solution.
XRP and XLM: Complementary, not competitive
Ripple’s XRP and Stellar’s XLM were by no means rivals. They were two parts of the same global plan. XRP focuses on improving liquidity, the possibility of cross-border payments, and supporting the central bank’s digital currency (CBDC) in the financial industry.
Meanwhile, Stellar is committed to bringing blockchain technology to underserved communities, humanitarian efforts and stable retail transactions.
Strategic partnerships on both sides
Both Ripple and Stellar have quietly secured strong partnerships. Ripple works with major financial institutions such as Bank of America and SBI to support the international banking system.
Stellar, meanwhile, is closely linked to humanitarian projects, with the United Nations using it for blockchain-based AIDs and using Franklin Templeton to represent assets.
Jed McCaleb’s exit from Ripple was not an accident. It was well part of the timing plan. When Ripple focused on the institutional aspects, McCaleb’s star project aimed to bring the power of blockchain to people.
