Ripple CEO Criticizes Saylor's Bitcoin Funding Strategy, Calls STRC Discount a "Severely Negative Signal"

Odaily Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse criticized Strategy and its Chairman Michael Saylor's Bitcoin purchasing funding model during a CNBC interview on Friday, stating that "financial engineering cannot create long-term value" and that the long-term value of digital assets should ultimately be driven by real-world utility.

Garlinghouse said the Saylor team is not focused on the right direction and believes this approach has already harmed the overall crypto market. He also emphasized that he remains bullish on Bitcoin but opposes Strategy's strategy of continuously adding BTC positions through complex funding structures.

His criticism was primarily directed at Strategy's model of issuing preferred stock to fund Bitcoin purchases. STRC is one of the preferred stocks issued by Strategy, carrying an annual dividend obligation of 11.5%. Recently, STRC traded at a discount of approximately 25% to 26% compared to its $100 face value. Garlinghouse described this performance as a "severely negative assessment" of Strategy's approach.