Ripple CTO Quits! 😱 Is This the End?

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Oh. My. God. So, apparently David Schwartz, who has been Ripple’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO) – which sounds very important, doesn’t it? – for, like, FOREVER (over 13 years, to be precise) is… stepping down. Yes, stepping down. It’s all happening by the end of the year. One wonders if they’ll replace him with a robot. Which, honestly, might be an improvement. 😉

He announced it on X (formerly Twitter, because everything has to change, doesn’t it?), and basically had a whole life reflection. Forty years! He’s been doing *stuff* – apparently involving the NSA, which is… intense. And he saw Bitcoin when it was, like, tiny. Apparently. He claims his time at Ripple was one of the greatest honors of his life, right after his family. Which is nice. I assume his family doesn’t involve complex blockchain technology.

He thanked *everyone*. Brad Garlinghouse, Monica Long, Chris Larsen, the RippleX team, developers. Honestly, the thank you list was longer than my weekly grocery list. And Arthur Britto gets a shoutout for his ‘big ideas’. Big. Ideas. Riveting. He also big-upped the community, which is good. They probably do all the actual work.

Staying Involved (Because Retirement is Scary)

But don’t worry! He’s not *completely* disappearing. No, no. He’s becoming “CTO Emeritus”. Honestly, what does that even MEAN? It sounds like a very posh title for someone who’s trying to ease out of things. Plus, he’s joining the Board of Directors. More meetings. More responsibility. 🤦‍♀️

And get this – he’s excited to get back to… coding! Like, actual coding. After being CTO for thirteen years. Apparently, he’s been tinkering with his own XRP Ledger node. A hobby node, you see. Because being a highly-paid executive just isn’t enough anymore. He’s looking into new ways to use XRP, too. Because Ripple’s current uses weren’t creative enough, apparently.

He’s optimistic about the future, naturally. Because what else is he going to say? He thinks this Dennis Jarosch person will be brilliant. Presumably, Dennis wasn’t on the long thank you list, but never mind. And he plans to go to XRP events. Which sounds… fun. For him. I’d rather stay home with a glass of wine, personally. 🍷

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2025-10-01 12:58