A new document related to Jeffrey Epstein that has just been released has attracted the attention of the crypto community as it directly mentions Ripple $XRP and Stellar $XLM .
The focal point is an email dated 31/7/2014, sent by Austin Hill (co-founder of Blockstream) to Epstein and technology investor Joi Ito. In the email, Hill expressed concern about investors simultaneously pouring funds into Ripple and Stellar - two directly competing projects in the field of cross-border payments.
Hill believes that 'betting on two horses in the same race' can create conflicts of interest and harm the ecosystem that Blockstream is building. The email also indicates that Reid Hoffman (co-founder of LinkedIn) was the recipient of the copy.
Notably, Stellar is referred to as 'Jed's new project,' referring to Jed McCaleb, the founder of Stellar after leaving Ripple. This indicates that the tension between Ripple and Stellar has existed from very early on, not only in terms of products but also behind the scenes in investments.
The appearance of this email in Epstein's records has revived the old story and quickly become a topic of debate within the cryptocurrency community.