Key Highlights
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- Ripple’s CTO, David Schwartz, has decided to resign from his position at the end of this year
- However, he will still be contributing to the Ripple community
On September 30, Ripple’s CTO David Schwartz shared an emotional post on his X (formerly Twitter), where he surprised the community by sharing his decision to step down from his “day-to-day duties as Ripple CTO” at the end of this year.
As happens in one’s life, I’ve been taking stock of my last 40 years. It’s been a wild ride. I’ve gone from consulting for the NSA to watching the early stages of Bitcoin. Then, I met Arthur, Jed, and Chris and worked on coding the XRP Ledger. Now, I’ve spent more than 13 years…
— David ‘JoelKatz’ Schwartz (@JoelKatz) September 30, 2025
However, he will still be part of the Ripple community as he will join the Board of Directors to support the company’s mission.
David Wants to Spend Time with Grandkids and Complete Bucketlist
In a post, David mentioned that “I’m really looking forward to spending more time with the kids and grandkids and going back to the hobbies I set aside.”
He added further, “The last few months I’ve been tinkering on the side – spinning up my own XRPL node and publishing its output data, researching other use cases for XRP (besides what Ripple is focused on), and more. I truly enjoy this part — getting my hands dirty, talking to builders, coding for the pure love of it — and I’m really excited to get back to that. More to come on this very soon, I’m sure.”
Brad Garlinghouse has also reacted to this post.
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…… https://t.co/tt4uX4JlkV
— Brad Garlinghouse (@bgarlinghouse) September 30, 2025
David’s Contribution to Crypto and Ripple Community
David Schwartz is an important force in the world of blockchain, known for his deep expertise in cryptography and his visionary work in engineering.
His journey into technology started with a strong interest in creating secure systems. He studied electrical engineering and computer science at the university, which prepared him for his future career.
During the 1990s, he was already inventing new methods for encryption and secure computing, filing patents that would later influence how businesses protect their data.
He even did consulting work for major organizations like CNN and collaborated with the NSA on distributed networks, skills that would ironically prove crucial in the world of cryptocurrency, which often positions itself outside the traditional financial system.
Schwartz entered the crypto space almost by accident. As a technology enthusiast, he discovered Bitcoin in 2009 and bought some early coins after finding its promise of a decentralized financial system.
However, he saw beyond the speculation and recognized that blockchain technology could be used for efficient and borderless money transfers. Teaming up with other cryptographers who were also frustrated with Bitcoin’s slow speeds and high energy consumption, Schwartz helped create the XRP Ledger.
This new system used a unique method for confirming transactions that was incredibly fast, cheap, and used very little energy compared to Bitcoin.
He soon joined the startup Ripple Labs as its Chief Cryptographer. His mission was to use this new technology to improve the world of international payments, which was slow and expensive.
Schwartz was a primary architect of the XRP Ledger’s core features, ensuring it was secure, scalable, and ready for real-world use by financial institutions.
He later became the company’s Chief Technology Officer, where he guided its overall technical direction.
When the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued Ripple, Schwartz became a public face for the company. He explained the technology to the world and defended its decentralized nature.
His impact is significant. The technology he helped build is now used in Ripple’s On-Demand Liquidity product, which allows for instant cross-border settlements and is used by companies like MoneyGram.
He continues to lead upgrades to the XRP Ledger, like adding new capabilities that expand its use in decentralized finance without the high fees of other networks.
In the post on X, David thanked everyone, saying, “To the RippleX team, ledger developers, community members, builders, and everyone else — it’s been an honor being in the trenches with you all. Thank you for everything you have done for the XRPL. I have total confidence in the next generation of leaders and builders – including Dennis Jarosch (Ripple’s SVP of Engineering) – and far too many others to name in the XRP community who will carry the torch.”
