Ripple is entering a new chapter: David Schwartz, known in crypto circles as JoelKatz, announced on September 30, 2025, that he will step down from his role as Chief Technology Officer by the end of the year. Yet he won’t be disappearing — he’s transitioning to a role on Ripple’s board of directors and plans to stay active in the XRP community.
This shift has sparked curiosity, optimism and caution in equal measure — how will XRP’s future, the XRPL roadmap, and Ripple’s development dynamics evolve without its longtime engineering steward? Here’s a distilled look at what’s happening, why it matters, and how the broader crypto ecosystem is responding.
Who is David “JoelKatz” Schwartz — and why his role matters
David Schwartz has been a central figure in the Ripple / XRPL world almost since inception. He originally joined Ripple (then known as OpenCoin) as a cryptographer, and in 2018 he officially became the company’s CTO. Over more than 13 years, he has been deeply involved in developing the XRP Ledger, leading major technical decisions, contributing to protocol design and hashing out architecture tradeoffs.
His influence extended beyond daily engineering: as a public voice in the XRP ecosystem, he defended Ripple’s strategy, addressed criticism about on-chain activity, and frequently engaged with community and developer dialogues. For example, he responded publicly to concerns about low XRPL volume and how Ripple handles off-chain settlements, explaining that institutions historically favored off-chain operations before traditional rails caught up.
In short: losing someone with not only deep technical memory but public trust is a big moment for Ripple — but it’s not necessarily a crisis if managed well.
The transition: roles, continuity, and what’s changing
What Schwartz is stepping away from
He is leaving the day-to-day CTO role at Ripple by the end of 2025. That means he won’t be managing team sprints, overseeing the full engineering stack, or being the first line of technical leadership in product decisions.
What he’s staying in
- He will serve as CTO Emeritus, a title suggesting advisory status rather than operational leadership.
- He will also join the board of directors for Ripple — playing a governance and oversight role rather than a day-to-day one.
- He indicated his intention to stay involved in the community, show up at XRP events, and occasionally drop into the office.
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse immediately reacted, calling Schwartz a “true OG in crypto” and praising his vision and contributions. He joked in his response, “Wait … does this mean you’re my boss now?” — hinting at respect and humor rather than conflict.
Why this matters — for XRP, XRPL and Ripple’s future
Technical continuity & roadmap risk
Schwartz was deeply involved in protocol decisions, ledger updates and innovations such as permissioned domains (meant to help institutional adoption of XRPL) and the roadmap for bridging on-chain/off-chain use cases. His departure may slow momentum on advanced features unless leadership transitions smoothly.
Governance and oversight shift
With him moving to a board role, Ripple might see a recalibration of how technical decisions are made. The board will hold more sway in guiding strategy, but operational teams will carry the burden of execution.
Symbolic and community sentiment
The crypto community watches leadership changes closely — in a sector where credibility and trust are key, a respected tech leader stepping down can raise questions. Some early XRP holders have already voiced concerns; one early investor called it a signal to sell.
On the flip side, because Schwartz is not leaving fully and is taking a governance role, many see this as a managed transition rather than abandonment.
Price & market reaction
Interestingly, XRP’s price has shown relative resilience so far. After the news, small upticks were observed, possibly driven by relief that the transition seems orderly and that Schwartz won’t vanish entirely.
Still, any leadership change introduces uncertainty, and XRP’s next moves may reflect how the market judges Ripple’s ability to maintain innovation.
What to watch going forward
- Leadership replacement & internal structure. Who takes full operational responsibility after Schwartz? Will existing senior engineering leaders step up, or will Ripple bring in external expertise?
- Roadmap continuity & protocol upgrades. Will features underway (e.g., permissioned domains, off-chain bridging, XRPL enhancements) stay on schedule? Delays or reprioritization might raise investor and developer eyebrows.
- Community signals and developer traction. Watch whether core XRPL contributors, validators or third-party devs stay engaged; cuts or friction could ripple across the ecosystem.
- Transparency and public engagement. Schwartz himself has been a visible defender of Ripple; new leadership will need to maintain communication to preserve trust.
- On-chain metrics & institutional flows. A drop-off in XRPL usage or fewer new institutional integrations might signal stress; conversely, stronger adoption despite the shift could validate the transition.
In summary
David Schwartz’s decision to step down as Ripple’s CTO marks a turning point for one of crypto’s foundational institutions. But this isn’t the end — it’s a repositioning. By retaining board membership and staying involved in the community, Schwartz appears to be trading full-time execution for strategic influence and freedom to explore new areas.