Bitcoin is still being developed, just like many other cryptocurrencies. How can you be sure that XRP won't face difficulties once it reaches the adoption stage BTC is in right now?
I wouldn't start hating on BTC and treating it as a failure until the dust settles. There are upgrades to the network being proposed as we speak.
When BTC goes down they are always looking for an altcoin to get into. BCH and LTC weren't looking that great as they were all going up for a time so they chose an altcoin that has been in a downtrend for months. In a few weeks they will dump XRP and move to BTC (if lightning gets attention) or BCH.