Ripple CTO David Schwartz to Step Down: What Does it Mean for XRP?

by

Well folks, it’s official-David Schwartz, Ripple’s CTO and the guy behind the brains of the XRP Ledger (XRPL), is stepping down at the end of the year. After over a decade of being the wizard behind the curtain, he’s ready to hand over the wand. 🧙‍♂️

This news has sparked a flurry of emotions in the XRP community. Some folks are all “thank you, David, for everything,” while others are frantically typing “XRP is done for” as if they’ve seen the future. 🙄

The Ripple Effect of Schwartz’s Departure

Schwartz, who came aboard Ripple in 2011 as a cryptographer (don’t ask me to explain what that means, just know he’s smart), has been the CTO since 2018. He posted a heartfelt goodbye on X (formerly known as Twitter), hinting that he’s looking forward to spending time with the kids and grandkids. Who can blame him, right? Retirement sounds sweet. 🏖️

“The time has come for me to step back from my day-to-day duties as Ripple CTO at the end of this year. I’m really looking forward to spending more time with the kids and grandkids and going back to the hobbies I set aside,” he posted.

But don’t you worry-he’s not ghosting the XRP community. He’ll still be around, just not in the office all day. 🕵️‍♂️

“But be warned, I’m not going away from the XRP community. You haven’t seen the last of me (now, or ever),” Schwartz added.

In his “retirement,” he’ll still sit on Ripple’s board of directors and get to wear the fancy honorary title of CTO Emeritus. Some fans are calling him an “XRP community legend” (I mean, if you spent 13 years building a thing, you’d probably be a legend too, right?).

The smartest (and maybe the funniest) person I know. A true OG in crypto with the conviction and vision to see what others couldn’t – you are a legend. Thank you David for everything you’ve done for the industry, for Ripple and for the XRP Ledger. We are all forever grateful……”

– Brad Garlinghouse (@bgarlinghouse) September 30, 2025

And of course, some of the community is looking at this like, “XRP’s going to the moon now, baby!” 🚀 Others, not so much. Some are even calling this the beginning of the end for XRP. Drama, right?

Crypto Bitlord, one of the more colorful characters in crypto commentary, took this opportunity to say, “Oh, so now Schwartz is stepping down to find ‘other use cases for XRP?’ That doesn’t sound like success, does it?” Oh, Bitlord, always the optimist. 🙄

“CTO stepping down to ‘research other use cases for XRP’ (besides what Ripple is focused on). We’re at the stage where they start to openly admit failure,” he posted.

He even speculated that Schwartz might be preparing Ripple for an IPO. Because why not? Nothing says “we’re doing great” like plotting an IPO while your CTO bounces to “spend more time with his hobbies.” 🎯

“Fact: The company Ripple labs is yet to produce any cash flow save dumping $XRP on consumers. (Nobody can dispute this fact). I’ve been here just as long as Joel, and honestly I’m just expecting more for the holders. We have increased competition to look forward to and no clear answers. CTO stepping down to enjoy life and hobbies isn’t exactly bullish. I’m left holding basically praying for hope now,” the user explained.

Meanwhile, XRP’s price took a little dip-a cool 1.54%-right after Schwartz made his announcement. 😬

But hey, the whole market is down by about 0.64%, so maybe this is just part of the cosmic crypto rollercoaster. XRP was hanging around $2.85 when I last checked. 📉

Read More

2025-10-01 10:22