Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse recently spoke out against Coinbase’s new “apolitical culture”.
Coinbase generally prohibits its employees from engaging in political discussions in the workplace.
Garlinghouse argues that tech companies have a duty to help solve social problems and lead by example.
Recently, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong announced that the company will introduce a new rule that will bring a major cultural shift to the Coinbase exchange. Employees of the largest US stock exchange will no longer be able to discuss politics while they are at work. The move was quickly criticized by the community, and big names in the cryptocurrency world soon joined in the criticism.
Cardano’s Charles Hoskinson was among those who disagreed, as was Twitter’s Jack Dorsey. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has also now rejected Coinbase’s apolitical stance.
Garlinghouse publicly opposes Armstrong
According to Armstrong, the cryptocurrency exchange will not discuss political causes or candidates or really address a topic that is in no way related to Coinbase’s main task. He called it an apolitical culture that is “laser-centric” in making profits and promoting cryptotechnology.
As already mentioned, Garlinghouse opposed and stressed that Silicon Valley has an obligation to contribute to the solution of social problems. He pointed out that the job of tech companies is more than just enabling a valuable Internet. Their goal should also be to achieve positive results for the company itself.
As the number of those who disagree with Coinbase continues to grow, the exchange has decided to remain silent and not comment on the new development. However, he has already lost about 5% of his workforce, including employees who accepted his offer to leave the company with the severance packages offered.
It also makes sense that Garlinghouse opposes Coinbase’s policy, as Ripple has always encouraged the company’s activism. The company also allows paid employees to go to the polls and vote during the election period or even volunteer during the upcoming election.
Additionally, Ripple is suing YouTube on allegations that the video platform did not protect its users from advertising gift fraud. Garlinghouse said the company shouldn’t have done this. It doesn’t help XRP or Ripple in any way, but it’s a social problem that needs to be solved.
