I'm sure they'll have a plan for how many to release so the price doesn't dump overnight.
That's beside the point. The point is that you and your potential Ripple investment solely depends on what they will do, as they can do anything. Or even the US government could force them.
Which is one of the problem Bitcoin and virtually every altcoin that followed solved; using a decentralized and trustless system.
Seriously folks? This is old news. Ripple put 55B XRP into escrow with a plan to release 1B into circulation each month for the next 55 months. Ripple has been very transparent about its plan and stuck to its word. When it put the 55B into escrow, the price went up, because it added credibility to Ripple. It allows investors to accurately predict supply.
Where did they get 55 billion? I'd bet that they generated 55 billion by few clicks 