Ripple's Ex Chief Engineer Slams New XRP Ledger Expansion Plan as 'Really Bad Idea'

What happened

Former Ripple chief engineer Matt Hamilton criticized the proposed XRP Ledger expansion amendment, saying it would force nodes to permanently store large media files, which could undermine the network’s decentralization.

Confirmed

Global impact / market context

If nodes must keep heavy files forever, fewer participants may run them because of higher storage costs, reducing the number of independent validators and weakening the ledger’s resistance to control.

Analyst inference

XRP’s price and adoption depend on confidence that the ledger remains decentralized; any perceived centralization risk can affect investor sentiment, especially as the crypto sector faces regulatory scrutiny worldwide.

Analyst inference

What to watch

1. Whether Ripple or the XRP Ledger governance body revises the amendment to address storage concerns, which would signal responsiveness to decentralization issues. Analyst inference
2. Reactions from node operators about the added storage burden, as their willingness to run nodes directly influences network health. Analyst inference
3. Any shift in XRP market price or trading volume following the criticism, indicating how investors weigh decentralization risks. Analyst inference

Affected assets

• XRP — XRP

Evidence

• u.today