Bitcoin advocate Simon Dixon, founder of Bnk To The Future, has described Ripple and XRP as part of what he called a “psyop” within crypto.
In a recent podcast, Dixon argued that the rise of altcoins, specifically XRP and Ripple, fractured the Bitcoin community and distracted people from Bitcoin’s original mission. Specifically, he suggested that what he views as “shitcoinery and gambling” divided participants through financial incentives, creating internal conflict rather than unity.
According to Dixon, the split between Bitcoin and projects like XRP represented a “divide and conquer” dynamic. He claimed that, over time, it became increasingly difficult to explain the difference between Bitcoin and XRP to newcomers, which he believes weakened Bitcoin’s position during its early growth phase.
Dixon extended his argument beyond XRP, describing several historic crypto events as potential “operations” that fragmented the ecosystem. He referenced the collapse of Mt. Gox, as well as Bitcoin’s block size wars and subsequent forks like Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin SV, as examples of how communities splintered over time.
He speculated that figures such as Brock Pierce may have played roles in events that contributed to division. He also mentioned possible links involving Jeffrey Epstein, a controversial American financier.
Dixon described these episodes as “divide and conquer” tactics. He argued that breaking Bitcoin into competing factions weakened the movement, even though Bitcoin later recovered and grew stronger.
Supporters of XRP rejected Dixon’s claims. X user Nepentia argued that politics aside, “the ledger doesn’t lie”. She highlighted the XRP Ledger’s performance, including three-second settlement times, very low fees, and more than a decade of banking integrations.
Notably, this latest conversations build on an earlier technical debate involving XRP and Bitcoin. Specifically, on February 3, Marshall Hayner, an early Bitcoin developer, tweeted that Bitcoin still has not delivered a fully decentralized and scalable system that matches its original vision.
Former Ripple director Matt Hamilton responded that Bitcoin’s scaling issues were addressed years ago with the creation of the XRP Ledger. He claimed early Bitcoin developers built XRPL specifically to fix problems related to speed, fees, and transaction capacity.
Historically, Jed McCaleb, one of Bitcoin’s early developers and founder of Mt. Gox, co-created the XRP Ledger in 2011 with David Schwartz and Arthur Britto. McCaleb later co-founded Ripple before leaving to start Stellar. Supporters argue this history shows XRPL grew directly out of Bitcoin’s early technical challenges.
The rivalry between the Bitcoin and XRP communities remains one of crypto’s longest-running debates. While some Bitcoin maximalists argue XRP undermines decentralization principles, others increasingly see the two assets serving different roles: Bitcoin as a store of value and XRP as a payments infrastructure.
Dixon’s comments highlight how ideological divides continue to shape crypto discourse. Yet despite years of conflict, Bitcoin and XRP have grown into multi-billion-dollar ecosystems with institutional backing and global adoption.
Ultimately, whether XRP is a distraction, a complement, or a direct competitor to Bitcoin remains a matter of perspective.
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