Bitcoin Developer Peter Todd Breaks Ranks, Mentions XRP Token at Mining Conference

Canadian Bitcoin developer Peter Todd, who was identified as a top Satoshi Nakamoto candidate by HBO last year, recently raised some eyebrows on social media after mentioning the controversial XRP token.

Canadian Bitcoin developer Peter Todd, who was named as a leading Satoshi Nakamoto candidate by HBO last year, has raised eyebrows on social media after mentioning the contentious XRP token.

Some people joked that the well-known Bitcoin supporter had been hacked.

"Satoshi has progressed to other endeavors, I suppose," another commentator joked.

Todd later clarified that someone dared him to mention the token during a recent Bitcoin mining conference, after perplexing the Bitcoin community.

Bitcoin supporters have been feuding with the XRP Army for years, but their rivalry escalated after it was revealed that Ripple had begun lobbying against a Bitcoin reserve. CEO Garlinghouse has stated that he prefers a multi-token alternative that may include XRP.

The Bitcoin community was enraged by such a proposal, arguing that XRP is a centralized corporate token. According to Garlinghouse, Ripple possesses over $100 billion in XRP tokens.

Todd has remained on the sidelines of the recent conflict between the two communities. However, the prominent Canadian developer has previously voiced strong criticism of XRP.

He stated in 2019 that the token serves no purpose and should "not exist." He asserted that the token's sole function is to generate revenue for Ripple.

Todd discussed data scientist Geoff Golberg's discovery of a large number of bots designed to promote the XRP token in 2020, stating that it would be "an interesting legal case."