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David Schwartz, one of Ripple’s longest-serving figures, announced on Sept. 30 that he will step down as Chief Technology Officer after more than thirteen years in the position.
Schwartz, who joined Ripple in its early days and became one of the most recognizable voices in the XRP community, said the decision followed what he called a “personal inflection moment” after decades of working in technology.
According to him:
“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. But be warned, I’m not going away from the XRP community.”
Next focus
Rather than leaving the ecosystem, Schwartz plans to operate his own XRP Ledger (XRPL) node and share its output data with the broader community.
He added that he intends to explore new XRP use cases outside Ripple’s current priorities, hinting that more announcements are coming.
To maintain continuity, Schwartz will remain connected to Ripple as Emeritus CTO and has also accepted a position on the company’s Board of Directors.
He emphasized that this new role will allow him to continue contributing to Ripple’s mission and long-term vision while giving him flexibility to pursue independent projects.
Speaking about Schwartz’s role in the development of XRP and the XRPL, Monica Long, Ripple’s president, said:
“This mighty community wouldn’t exist without you – nor the inventions of Proof of Association, the DEX, smart escrow, continuous auction in an AMM.”
XRP edges higher
Schwartz’s resignation news did not unsettle XRP traders. Instead, the digital asset gained more than 3%, briefly approaching the $3 threshold, according to CryptoSlate’s data.
This price position is seen as a key point that could trigger further momentum if sustained.
Despite this, XRP trades well below its historic peak of $3.84, leaving room for future recovery.