David Schwartz, Ripple’s long-time Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and a key architect of the XRP Ledger (XRPL), has announced that he will step down from his position at the end of the year after over a decade of service.
His decision has elicited strong reactions within the XRP community. Many have voiced gratitude, admiration, and confidence in his enduring legacy, while others have raised concerns that his exit indicates that ‘XRP has failed.’
Ripple CTO Departure Raises Questions Over XRP’s Future
Schwartz joined Ripple in 2011 as a cryptographer and became chief technology officer in 2018. In a personal statement on X (formerly Twitter), he expressed appreciation for his 13 years with the company.
“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.
Schwartz also confirmed that, although he will no longer be the CTO, he intends to remain closely connected to Ripple.
“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.
The executive disclosed that he has accepted a position on the company’s board of directors and will hold the honorary title of CTO Emeritus. The announcement prompted mixed responses from the cryptocurrency community.
Many conveyed their appreciation and respect for Schwartz’s contributions, calling him an ‘XRP community legend.’
A community member even speculated that this could mean XRP is headed ‘to the moon and beyond.’ However, not all responses were positive.
Well-known crypto commentator Crypto Bitlord viewed the announcement as an indication of strategic failure at Ripple. Bitlord contended that the timing of Schwartz’s departure intensifies uncertainties. Recently, Swift announced a partnership with ConsenSys, potentially posing stronger competition for Ripple in cross-border payments.
“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 speculated that Schwartz’s appointment to Ripple’s board may be linked to initial public offering (IPO) preparations, especially since XRP can no longer be ‘dumped on retail.’
“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 dropped 1.54% within the past day following Schwartz’s announcement.
However, this decline could also be attributed to a broader market correction, which saw the total market cap fall by 0.64% during the same timeframe. BeInCrypto Markets data indicated that the altcoin was trading at $2.85 at press time.
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