Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, speaking at Washington FinTech Week, emphasized the decentralized nature of XRP, distinguishing it from Ripple, the venture capital-backed private company. Garlinghouse clarified that XRP operates as an open-source digital asset on a public blockchain, without a CEO or central authority. He highlighted that XRP's governance requires consensus from a majority of independent participants, underscoring its decentralized characteristics akin to Bitcoin and Ethereum. Garlinghouse also mentioned that a recent proposal by Ripple was rejected by the community, further demonstrating XRP's decentralized governance structure.