The Ripple CEO, Brad Garlinghouse, recently confirmed that Ripple has already begun “flipping the switch” on XRP, but there could be thousands of them.
Garlinghouse discussed this while speaking at the just-concluded XRP Australia Sydney 2026 conference, clarifying that no single event will suddenly activate XRP at scale.
Key Points
- Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse recently addressed the “flip the switch” comment within the XRP community.
- According to Garlinghouse, Ripple operates with hundreds or thousands of incremental “switches,” not one master trigger event.
- He shared optimism for 2026 and beyond, saying years of steady work could eventually produce an exponential impact for the XRP ecosystem.
- The “flip the switch” phrase traces back to Garlinghouse’s January 2019 Fortune remarks about banks moving XRP from pilot programs to production via xRapid.
- Over time, the community expanded the phrase into a broader belief that a single infrastructure or regulatory event would immediately reprice XRP.
Ripple Has Been Flipping Smaller Switches
Speaking at the Feb. 27 conference in Sydney, he explained that Ripple has been turning on hundreds or even thousands of smaller “switches” over time, and each step contributes to broader adoption and long-term impact.
The event, organized by Wave of Innovation at Crown Towers Sydney, brought together over 400 global participants to discuss XRP, Ripple technology, tokenization, stablecoins, and regulation. Alongside Garlinghouse, Ripple President Monica Long and CTO Emeritus David Schwartz took part in the summit.
Garlinghouse explained that there is no single master switch waiting to be turned on. Instead, Ripple has been flipping many smaller switches over time. Notably, progress comes from hundreds of small steps. Each one may seem minor on its own, but together they eventually create a much bigger impact.
Small Steps Adding Up Over Time
Garlinghouse admitted that some developments have taken longer than people hoped. However, he pointed out that Ripple has made real progress across different areas. He said more and more of these “switches” are turning on, even if the changes do not always grab headlines right away.
Speaking further, he shared optimism about 2026 and the years ahead. He called the future impact the result of steady work over the past decade, not one dramatic moment. When everything finally feels like it has moved positively, people may realize that no single event caused it, but years of effort slowly built up to that point.
Notably, over the years, Ripple has made various steps surrounding partnerships and acquisitions in an effort to penetrate the global financial system. Since 2023, the firm has spent $3 billion in acquisitions, and Garlinghouse previously confirmed that the purpose was to bridge TradFi with DeFi.
Speaking recently, he also highlighted the role of the community. During Ripple’s current world tour, he said he has seen strong passion from supporters, especially in Australia. He credited community members for speaking up, correcting misinformation, and pushing back against FUD. According to him, these actions count as more switches.
How “Flip the Switch” Became an XRP Catchphrase
For the uninitiated, the “flip the switch” phrase did not originate as an official Ripple slogan. However, it grew from a combination of Garlinghouse’s public comments, community discussions, and subsequent online hype around XRP’s price potential.
Specifically, in January 2019, Garlinghouse told Fortune that banks and financial institutions were ready to “flip the switch” and start integrating XRP through xRapid once pilot programs finished. Notably, he used the phrase to describe institutions moving from testing into real production use.
By 2017 and 2018, YouTube creators and social media users had already started using the phrase in video titles and posts, suggesting that a sharp price move was just around the corner.
Retail XRP supporters imagined banks or even central banks moving from testing to sending large cross-border payments through XRP overnight. After the Fortune interview, blogs and influencers repeated the idea that banks were ready to activate XRP.
At XRP Australia Sydney 2026, Garlinghouse directly addressed the narrative. He has now confirmed with the community that Ripple’s strategy has never depended on one dramatic moment, but on thousands of steady moves that, together, will determine the bigger picture.
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