On May 28, 2025, Ripple donated the controversial “Skull of Satoshi” sculpture to the Bitcoin community during the Bitcoin Conference, aiming to foster cross – chain unity. This unexpected move marked a rare collaboration between the two long – standing rivals in the crypto industry.
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse described this as a symbolic gesture to promote dialogue and solidarity within the broader blockchain space. He emphasized that the sculpture now serves as a monument to Bitcoin’s resilience and the collective promise of the crypto industry. He hoped this action would remind people that the Bitcoin, XRP, and other crypto communities have more in common than they might think.
The “Skull of Satoshi” was created by Canadian artist Benjamin von Wong in 2023 as part of Greenpeace USA’s “Change the Code” campaign. The campaign intended to encourage Bitcoin developers to switch from the energy – intensive proof – of – work (PoW) model to the more sustainable proof – of – stake (PoS) system that Ethereum adopted in 2022. The sculpture was designed to make people think about the environmental impact of Bitcoin’s PoW consensus mechanism, featuring shadowy coder figures beneath a skull made of e – waste, set against industrial backdrops symbolizing energy use. However, Von Wong has stated that the artwork was never meant to attack Bitcoin but rather to inspire the industry to embrace cleaner, renewable energy without sacrificing Bitcoin’s core values of security, decentralization, and censorship resistance.
Nevertheless, Ripple’s donation has sparked a divided response within the crypto community. While supporters view it as a sincere attempt to bridge the gap between the two blockchain networks, some Bitcoin advocates believe the gesture is hollow, given Ripple’s previous association with anti – Bitcoin narratives. For example, VanEck’s head of digital asset research, Matthew Sigel, said Ripple should have apologized for its past support of anti – Bitcoin campaigns. Bitcoin proponent Pierre Rochard also remarked that Ripple’s attacks on Bitcoin had only made it stronger.
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