A senior figure in the XRP community has urged investors to consider selling after Ripple’s long-time Chief Technology Officer, David Schwartz, announced he will step back from day-to-day responsibilities.
According to Schwartz, a core architect of the XRP Ledger, he’ll transition to a scaled‑back operational role at the end of the year and continue serving on Ripple’s board as an advisor.
Schwartz’s Departure and Plans
In his statement, Schwartz confirmed he intends to relinquish daily CTO duties but will continue to support XRP‑related work in a less active capacity. He said he plans to remain on Ripple’s board as CTO Emeritus and will pursue independent development projects tied to the ledger.
Schwartz described a desire to devote more time to hands‑on engineering, experimentation, and personal priorities after more than a decade with the company.
Messages of gratitude and respect for Schwartz’s technical contributions appeared across social channels immediately after the announcement. Many community members praised his role in building the ledger’s foundation and wished him success in his new endeavors.
At the same time, the news has introduced uncertainty for some stakeholders who associate long‑term stability with existing leadership.
ALERT 🚨 Time to sell $XRP ⚠ ⚠ ⚠
1) CTO stepping down to “research other use cases for XRP” (besides what Ripple is focused on)”
2) We’re at the stage where they start to openly admit failure
3) This comes at a critical time where SWIFT announced partnership with CONSENSUS https://t.co/ZnFhpHKoE6
— Crypto Bitlord (@crypto_bitlord7) September 30, 2025
Exit Call from a Prominent Investor
Reacting to the announcement, high‑profile investor and early XRP backer Crypto Bitlord publicly recommended reducing XRP holdings. He argued that Schwartz’s change in responsibilities arrived during a period of heightened competition and pointed to recent industry moves by major incumbents as evidence that Ripple’s position faces fresh challenges.
Bitlord criticized Ripple’s revenue profile, noting the company’s historical reliance in part on token sales rather than recurring cash flows from diversified product lines. He suggested that this business model raises vulnerability as institutional actors expand their own solutions.
In a blunt assessment, the investor framed Schwartz’s new board role as consistent with corporate preparations for a potential public listing, rather than a guaranteed benefit for XRP token holders.
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— TimesTabloid (@TimesTabloid1) June 15, 2025
Institutional Shifts and Competition
Observers have tied this leadership transition to wider shifts in the payments infrastructure landscape. The timing follows announcements from established financial networks that are accelerating blockchain integration and exploring proprietary ledger solutions in partnership with enterprise technology firms.
Some analysts contend these developments reduce the likelihood that institutions will adopt an external public ledger as their primary settlement layer.
Critics argue that the narrative claiming XRP will replace existing players overlooks the fact that major banks and payment networks typically want to maintain control over their own systems. That preference has informed recent industry projects that prioritize interoperability between legacy rails and tokenized assets while preserving institutional control.
Community Sentiment
Reactions within the XRP ecosystem remain mixed. While many supporters expressed appreciation for Schwartz’s continued involvement and welcomed his plans to return to technical work, other participants interpreted the move as a potential inflection point that warrants a reassessment of holdings and strategy.
Schwartz emphasized that his decision is personal and that he intends to stay engaged with the ledger’s technical progress. He also expressed interest in exploring independent projects that could expand the XRPL’s applications beyond Ripple’s commercial activities.
David Schwartz’s announcement marks a notable leadership change for a project closely associated with his technical leadership. While the transition has prompted some investors to recommend exiting positions, others view the shift as an opportunity for renewed technical innovation led by Schwartz himself.
The long‑term implications for XRP will depend on how Ripple, institutional partners, and independent developers respond to changing market dynamics and the CTO’s new focus on engineering and experimentation.
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