David Schwartz, the former Chief Technology Officer of Ripple, clarified that he’s no longer primarily invested in XRP. In a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), he stated that his main financial stake in the crypto world now comes from Ripple company stock, rather than XRP itself.
What Schwartz says is important because many people in the XRP community pay close attention to his views. His comments often highlight a key debate: the distinction between being involved with Ripple (the company) and simply owning XRP, the digital asset.
The conversation started when people brought up a previous decision by Schwartz to sell Ethereum (ETH) when it was worth $1.05. After someone suggested he’d missed out on potential profits, Schwartz explained that he hadn’t seen a clear chance for the price to go up at that time.
He explained that if he’d believed there was even a small chance—1%—of the price reaching $2,368, he wouldn’t have sold it for $1.05. He still doubts the probability of that happening was ever much higher than 1% when he made the sale.
Hearing that admission really got me thinking about how much XRP Barry Schwartz still owns. When directly asked, he said he doesn’t hold nearly as much as he used to. He explained he’s been trying to reduce his overall crypto risk, but there’s one big exception: he’s still heavily invested in Ripple stock. As an investor, that’s interesting to hear – shifting from XRP to Ripple shares is a clear move, and I’m watching to see what it means for the future.
I understand that cryptocurrency could be a rare opportunity to build wealth, and I might miss out on some of the gains. I’m comfortable with that risk, and I’m hoping my investment in Ripple stock will provide sufficient financial benefit. That approach gives me peace of mind.
Ripple Stock As The Core Exposure
Schwartz presented the decision as being about how much risk someone is willing to accept, not as a prediction of what XRP’s price will do. He admitted he generally avoids risk, despite often succeeding with risky ventures. He later stated this point more directly.
I’m not someone who holds onto risky investments hoping for a huge payoff. I prefer to make careful, practical investment choices, even if it means I sometimes miss out on big gains. And I’m comfortable with that approach.
What really mattered to XRP holders wasn’t just that Chris Schwartz said he owns less XRP. It was his reasoning: he already has sufficient investment in Ripple stock, which gives him enough connection to the XRP world. He admitted that if he owned less Ripple stock, he’d likely feel differently about holding XRP.
I’d probably own more XRP – and other cryptocurrencies – if I didn’t already have a significant investment in Ripple stock. I see that stock as enough of a risk, so I prefer to keep the rest of my investments fairly safe.
This difference is key. Schwartz clarified that buying XRP isn’t the same as investing in Ripple stock. He specifically pointed this out when discussing whether Ripple could offer a program where long-term XRP holders would get first access to shares if the company ever went public.
He explained that details about trading Ripple shares privately are confidential due to legal agreements. However, he suggested people check platforms like Notice.co and Hiive for publicly available information. He wasn’t convinced that connecting XRP holders closely to Ripple’s stock performance was a good idea.
David Schwartz expressed his disapproval of Ripple’s recent actions, stating that those interested in benefiting from Ripple’s performance should purchase Ripple stock directly. He believes that XRP’s value shouldn’t be overly dependent on the successes or failures of the Ripple company itself.
The Legal Line Between XRP And Equity
Schwartz also dismissed the possibility of allowing XRP holders to directly purchase Ripple stock. He explained that current laws make this idea impractical, responding to a user who suggested the company explore this option.
He stated definitively that Ripple stock is considered a security. While it’s possible for eligible investors under US law to purchase Ripple stock on the secondary market to directly benefit from or risk Ripple’s performance, he advises against doing so.
He acknowledged that a future public listing for Ripple is uncertain, largely due to the unpredictable regulatory landscape. He explained that a less supportive Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) could pose significant problems if Ripple were to become a publicly traded company in the U.S.
The conversation then shifted to how much XRP Schwartz personally held. When asked why his 26 million XRP was less than what other people involved with Ripple received early on, he didn’t want to go into all the details, but said he ended up with a significant amount of Ripple stock. He also explained that the 26 million XRP wasn’t a gift – he had actually earned it by trading bitcoin for XRP.
He explained that when XRP dropped to 10 cents, he had a significant amount of money – millions of dollars – potentially at risk, and he was understandably unhappy about it.
At press time, XRP traded at $1.4071.
Read More
- ETC PREDICTION. ETC cryptocurrency
- Gold Rate Forecast
- Brent Oil Forecast
- ONDO PREDICTION. ONDO cryptocurrency
- EUR CNY PREDICTION
- Polymarket’s 3.14% Pie: A Slice of Genius or Just Crumbs?
- GBP CHF PREDICTION
- IP/USD
- XRP EUR PREDICTION. XRP cryptocurrency
- USD TRY PREDICTION
2026-05-05 18:33