It's an interesting read, and point. I think it boils down to a few things. One, Ripple got the idea first. First one in gets the head start! Second, Ripple is decentralized, which establishes trust with those of us that love what cryptos are truly all about....getting the power away from the Big Banks. Third, Ripple has already shown us that it CAN produce interoperability between different cryptocurrencies.
Obviously, time will tell.
Most of the ones that get first to market rarely remain in the front line.
Who created the first mobile phone? Motorola Who is the market leader now and where is Motorola?
First Air conditioning? Carrier
First computers? First videogame devices? first search engines? First online shops?
Thinking that being first to market is a substantial advantage in the long run ignores most of the lessons we have learned with technology in the last 50 years.