XRP Ledger Changes Require Validator Support, Not Just Ripple

The XRP Ledger is often criticized for being controlled by Ripple, but this assumption is not entirely accurate. While Ripple does contribute code and operate infrastructure within the ecosystem, it cannot unilaterally push changes onto the ledger.

Changes to the network must go through XRPL's amendment process, which requires support from trusted validators across the network. A proposed amendment needs more than 80% support from these validators for two consecutive weeks before it becomes enabled.

Ripple engineers are major contributors to XRPL software, but code contribution and control are not the same thing. Validators decide which transactions and ledgers they consider valid, while operators choose which validators they trust through their Unique Node Lists (UNLs).

XRPL consensus depends on these overlapping trust relationships rather than a single central authority. This means that even a change supported by Ripple still needs enough validator backing to activate.