Prominent crypto attorney and staunch XRP advocate John Deaton has sparked a heated conversation in the digital asset community with his proposed version of a "Crypto Mount Rushmore." In a post on social media platform X, Deaton shared his personal rankings of the most influential figures in the crypto space—naming visionaries who have helped shape the blockchain landscape into what it is today.
Leading his list is none other than Bitcoin’s mysterious creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, whose innovation gave birth to the decentralized financial revolution. But Deaton didn’t stop there. He made a bold move by including two Ripple executives—Jed McCaleb and David Schwartz—in the same conversation as Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, positioning them among crypto’s all-time greats.
Satoshi Nakamoto: The Unquestioned Pioneer
At the top of Deaton’s Crypto Mount Rushmore sits Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous inventor of Bitcoin. Recognized for releasing the Bitcoin whitepaper in 2008 and launching the Bitcoin network in 2009, Satoshi is widely regarded as the architect of decentralized currency. Deaton considers Satoshi’s role foundational and irreplaceable, emphasizing that no list of blockchain pioneers would be complete without the enigmatic creator.
Vitalik Buterin: Smart Contracts and the Birth of Web3
Next on the mountain is Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum. Deaton describes Buterin's inclusion as a “no-brainer,” noting the massive impact Ethereum has had on the evolution of decentralized applications and smart contract technology. Ethereum has become the backbone of DeFi, NFTs, DAOs, and a wide variety of blockchain-based solutions, revolutionizing how blockchain is used beyond simple peer-to-peer transactions.
Ripple’s Jed McCaleb: From XRP to Stellar
John Deaton turns the spotlight toward Ripple’s contributions by recognizing Jed McCaleb, a co-founder of Ripple and a key figure behind the XRP Ledger. McCaleb’s early efforts helped establish XRP as one of the leading digital assets for cross-border transactions. After his time at Ripple, McCaleb went on to launch Stellar (XLM), another blockchain protocol focused on payment solutions. Deaton praises McCaleb’s continued influence in building scalable, cost-effective blockchain solutions for global financial systems.
David Schwartz: The Brain Behind XRP Ledger
Another Ripple heavyweight Deaton includes is David Schwartz, the current Chief Technology Officer of Ripple. Known as one of the original architects of the XRP Ledger, Schwartz has played a central role in Ripple’s growth and its mission to modernize international money transfers. Deaton notes Schwartz’s early cryptographic patents and long-standing innovation as critical milestones in blockchain development, even before the term “blockchain” became mainstream.
With XRPL undergoing major upgrades designed to compete with Ethereum and Solana in speed, scalability, and cost-efficiency, Schwartz’s technical leadership is now more relevant than ever.
Coinbase, Binance, and Cardano Executives Join the Race
Deaton didn’t limit his Crypto Mount Rushmore to developers alone. He also floated several influential founders and CEOs who have helped scale the industry and make crypto accessible to millions.
Brian Armstrong, the CEO and co-founder of Coinbase, earns a mention for launching the first publicly traded crypto exchange in the U.S., helping to bring digital assets to institutional investors and everyday users alike. Similarly, Changpeng Zhao (CZ), the founder of Binance, has arguably created the world’s largest crypto exchange by volume, transforming the way users trade and manage digital assets globally.
Deaton also gave credit to Brad Garlinghouse, Ripple’s current CEO, who has overseen key strategic moves like the launch of Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin and the acquisition of Hidden Road. These developments, alongside potential acquisitions like Circle, show Ripple’s ambition to become a major player in global finance.
Technical Founders and Early Innovators
Not all candidates on Deaton’s list are CEOs or public figures. Some are the behind-the-scenes innovators who contributed to the very foundation of the crypto world:
Charles Hoskinson, founder of Cardano and a co-founder of Ethereum, is recognized for his work on blockchain scalability and formal verification.
Charlie Lee, creator of Litecoin, brought the concept of "silver to Bitcoin’s gold," focusing on faster transactions and lower fees.
Sergey Nazarov, founder of Chainlink, played a critical role in bridging smart contracts with real-world data through decentralized oracles.
Nick Szabo, the mind behind Bit Gold, is seen as one of the intellectual precursors to Bitcoin, often rumored (without confirmation) to be Satoshi himself.
Hal Finney, the recipient of the first Bitcoin transaction and a key Bitcoin developer in its earliest days.
Gavin Andresen, Satoshi’s successor who maintained the Bitcoin codebase and guided its early development.
Honoring Financial and Strategic Pioneers
Deaton also spotlights figures who helped legitimize crypto from a financial and strategic standpoint. He credits Michael Saylor, CEO of MicroStrategy, for being the first major public company executive to aggressively adopt Bitcoin as a treasury reserve asset. MicroStrategy currently holds over 576,000 BTC, making it the largest corporate Bitcoin holder in the world.
Other names include Paolo Ardoino of Tether, Jesse Powell of Kraken, and Caitlin Long, founder of Custodia Bank—each of whom has contributed to advancing regulation, stablecoin infrastructure, and institutional access to crypto banking.
One Crypto Mount Rushmore or Two?
As the list of crypto influencers grows longer, Deaton concluded that perhaps it makes more sense to split the monument into two separate tributes—a Bitcoin Mount Rushmore and a Crypto Mount Rushmore—to honor both early pioneers and broader blockchain innovators.
“It makes sense to have two separate Mount Rushmores – a Bitcoin Mount Rushmore and a Crypto Mount Rushmore,” Deaton wrote, acknowledging the fundamental differences between Bitcoin purists and broader crypto visionaries.
Final Thoughts
John Deaton’s take on a Crypto Mount Rushmore has fueled debate across the blockchain community, with supporters and skeptics alike weighing in on who deserves a spot on this fictional monument. Whether one agrees with his picks or not, it’s undeniable that the individuals he highlights have played a major role in shaping the evolution of digital finance.
From the anonymous genius of Satoshi Nakamoto to the technical brilliance of Ripple’s David Schwartz, and the business foresight of figures like Michael Saylor and Brian Armstrong, the crypto industry is filled with pioneers who deserve recognition. Deaton’s proposal might just be the starting point for a broader conversation about legacy, innovation, and the future of blockchain technology.
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