Google Ventures kicked in maybe $200K from all of the research I've done, which, while no means is chump change, is chump change for Google.
I wouldn't follow that as any source for a trustworthy platform.
The thing about all of the coins, not just ripple is that the creators mine enough coins for thenselves. By enough, I mean a lot. How much is one ripple worth? Also now that its "open source" are you able to mine it?