Brad Garlinghouse’s Fairytale Year: From Courtroom Battles to a Riviera Wedding

Brad Garlinghouse, the embattled CEO who steered Ripple through one of crypto’s most grueling legal fights, is closing out 2025 on a remarkable high note.

Just months after Ripple secured a landmark resolution with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Garlinghouse revealed he has tied the knot with dietitian Tara Milsti in a glittering French Riviera ceremony that blended crypto royalty with Hollywood stardom.

In a year that began with regulatory shadows and uncertainty, Garlinghouse’s personal and professional fortunes have taken a dramatic turn.

For many observers, 2025 now stands as a watershed moment not only for Ripple but for its outspoken leader, long seen as the face of resistance against Washington’s hardline “regulation by enforcement” approach.

The wedding, announced via a celebratory X post on September 22, drew admiration across industries. “The next chapter of life is so much sweeter with Tara by my side,” Garlinghouse wrote, calling himself “lucky for so many reasons.”

His sentiment echoed across the digital asset community, where high-profile figures such as Gemini co-founder Tyler Winklevoss and Digital Chamber CEO Cody Carbone posted their congratulations.

Yet the well-wishers extended far beyond crypto. Hollywood stars Zac Efron, Nina Dobrev, and Miles Teller were among the guests spotted on the Riviera, adding a layer of glitz to what was already a landmark crypto event.

Ripple’s Resounding Victory

Just months earlier, Garlinghouse had stood before the industry with another kind of celebration. In May, Ripple reached a breakthrough settlement with the SEC, effectively ending a years-long battle that had cast doubt over the future of XRP and the company itself.

The case, filed in December 2020, alleged Ripple had sold XRP as unregistered securities, setting off waves of market panic and sparking fears that other blockchain firms could face similar crackdowns.

When the SEC dropped its appeal, Garlinghouse hailed it as “the moment we’ve been waiting for” — a resounding victory not only for Ripple but for the broader crypto industry. To many, it signaled the start of a more collaborative era between regulators and blockchain innovators.

Taken together, the SEC resolution and Garlinghouse’s wedding tell a story of transformation. What began as a year clouded by legal risk has instead turned into one of vindication, renewal, and celebration.

For Ripple, once branded the poster child of regulatory overreach, the events of 2025 mark a dramatic reversal of fortune and a chance to reposition itself as a leader in blockchain innovation.

A Battle Half Won

Yet beneath the fairytale narrative, some industry watchers warn the story isn’t finished. While the SEC’s settlement has been framed as final, lingering questions remain about how far U.S. regulators are willing to retreat from their enforcement-driven tactics.

Ripple may have won the battle, but the war over how digital assets will be classified — and controlled — is far from over. For Garlinghouse, the French Riviera may have offered a moment of personal triumph. But in Washington, the shadow of the SEC still looms, and Ripple’s fight for full regulatory clarity continues.