Ripple donates $4 million to charity (with Ashton Kutcher) - but is that a good thing?

Two months ago I shared how Ripple made "the biggest donation ever" on a prime time talk show. And now they multiplied that by four.

On one hand it's great that charities have so much more access to funding now, through money that simply grows on the blockchain.

And who cares that these are huge marketing stunts (and that this whole conversation in the clip below feels very scripted), as long as people or animals in need benefit from it, right?

On the other hand, this does not really help the crypto movement.

Ashton Kutcher donates live on the show by converting XRP to Fiat. That means that money is leaving the crypto space in that moment and goes back to the old world. The receiver doesn't even notice that any crypto was involved. So this generous transaction doesn't introduce people to the power of cryptocurrencies, but only to the Ripple brand. Regular, old-fashioned marketing, if you ask me.

Most crypto enthusiasts, who are motivated by freedom, inclusion and self-direction for everyone, are not exactly in love with Ripple, because it is centralized and controlled by only a handful of people. It feels like Ripple is exploiting the new system in order to strengthen the old system.

So, while it's nice for a charity to receive huge funds, I find donations like this not really empowering at all. It is a top down "look how generous I am" approach and donations seem to take place only when they get highly televised.

I much prefer an enabling, activating approach, that educates the receiver on cryptocurrencies and blockchain and teaches them how to multiply or even generate their own money, and sustain themselves long term.

What is your take on this?