Ripple CEO backs AI as revenue set to double in 2026

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said on Aug. 20 that the company is aggressively adopting artificial intelligence as it pursues further revenue and workforce growth. Summary Garlinghouse said Ripple has adopted artificial intelligence aggressively to accelerate growth across its expanding business. Ripple employs about 1,500 people globally and plans continued hiring as revenue grows further worldwide. Garlinghouse expects Ripple to more than double annual revenue during 2026, despite continuing market weakness. Ripple currently lists 94 roles publicly, including engineering positions focused on AI driven operations worldwide. Ripple Prime clears more than $3 trillion annually for over 300 institutional customers across markets. Speaking at the SALT Wyoming Blockchain Symposium, Garlinghouse described AI as an “enabler and an accelerant” for companies that already have growing businesses and customer demand. “AI, if you are in a business that has opportunity to grow and you’re serving customers and have compelling solutions, AI just lets you do that better and faster and stronger,” Garlinghouse said during the recorded interview. He added that Ripple has approximately 1,500 employees worldwide and 150 open positions. Garlinghouse said the company intends to keep expanding because its business is growing. You might also like: Ripple joins Clearpool, Cicada to launch institutional RLUSD credit fund Ripple sees AI as an expansion tool Garlinghouse rejected the argument that AI is necessarily responsible for large corporate layoffs. He suggested that some companies may be using the technology to justify workforce reductions that were already needed. “When I see companies announce big layoffs and they say, ‘Oh, well, AI X, Y, and Z,’ that to me says, ‘Well, they were bloated before and they’re using this as an excuse,’” he said. His comments represent an opinion about recent layoffs rather than evidence about individual companies. Businesses have attributed workforce reductions to several factors, including automation, restructuring, operating costs and changes in customer demand. Ripple’s public careers portal displayed 94 available positions when reviewed. The difference from Garlinghouse’s figure may reflect roles that have not been posted publicly, positions under recruitment through other channels or changes since the conference appearance. Some listings directly connect Ripple’s engineering strategy with AI. One senior engineering role calls for an “AI native operation” using agentic development methods to expand the company’s payout network without relying entirely on traditional headcount growth. Institutional expansion supports Ripple’s growth claim Garlinghouse said Ripple expects a record year and will “more than double revenue year on year.” Ripple is privately held and does not publish the audited quarterly financial statements required of public companies. The revenue projection therefore remains company guidance. The company has expanded beyond its original cross border payments business through acquisitions and new institutional services.