'I Accumulated a Lot': Ripple CTO Emeritus Reveals Major Early Stake

In a recent X conversation, Ripple CTO emeritus David Schwartz offered a glimpse into his financial investments, especially during Ripple's early days.

The $XRP Ledger was first launched in June 2012 by the trio of David Schwartz, Jed McCaleb, and Arthur Britto. Shortly thereafter, they were joined by Chris Larsen, and the group started the company NewCoin in September 2012, which was quickly renamed OpenCoin and is now Ripple.

Schwartz initially joined Ripple as chief cryptographer and became its CTO in 2018 until late last year, when he stepped down from day-to-day activities and transitioned to being the CTO emeritus. As his last duty at Ripple, he joined the board of directors and also served as a strategic advisor for $XRP treasury company Evernorth.

In response to an X user who asked whether he had received a substantial retirement package after his recent disclosure of his $XRP holdings, Schwartz said he had accumulated a significant amount of Ripple stock during the company's early days.

As reported, Schwartz stated he had gone from holding about 26 million $XRP at his peak to around 2 million $XRP now, when asked by an X user whether he had sold all of his $XRP. This prompted another X user to ask: "I bet you got a pretty sweet retirement package though?" to which Schwartz responded, saying "I accumulated a lot of Ripple stock in the early days."

Given that Schwartz did not disclose the exact amount of Ripple stock he accumulated, the price he paid, the value of his current holdings, or what remains of the stash he accumulated, his comment cannot be taken as a precise estimate of his wealth or retirement compensation. His wording, especially the phrase "a lot," however, suggests he accumulated a significant amount of Ripple stock during the company's early days.

This suggests that Schwartz's financial interests were not limited to $XRP and other cryptocurrencies; he also accumulated Ripple stock during the company's early development.

Ripple's valuation grows

Last November, Ripple raised $500 million in a strategic investment, putting its value at $40 billion. The company is now valued at $50 billion following a $750 million share buyback program.

In the most recent development, Ripple's prime-brokerage arm has raised $275 million through the private placement bond market, according to Bloomberg.

The notes mature in 2031 and were sold with an 8.25% coupon, a Ripple spokesperson said. Ripple Prime's senior unsecured notes received a BBB rating from KBRA, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.