David Schwartz Breaks Silence on Ripple Exit, Confirms Board Position and XRP Role

Summary

• David Schwartz confirms retirement from Ripple’s executive operations while retaining board membership and the CTO Emeritus designation within the company.
• Despite retirement, Schwartz maintains XRP Ledger involvement through node operations and warns cryptocurrency users about a suspected SecuX phishing attempt.
• Schwartz strengthens XRP ecosystem ties through Evernorth’s advisory role and Ripple’s Swell event, discussing blockchain development and future financial applications.

Ripple CTO Emeritus David Schwartz has clarified that retirement ended full-time employment but did not terminate ties with the company. Schwartz remains on Ripple’s Board of Directors while retaining the CTO Emeritus designation.

According to Schwartz’s recent exchange on X, the former executive no longer handles Ripple’s daily operations following retirement.

“I don’t work for Ripple anymore. I retired,” Schwartz stated.

An X user subsequently questioned whether Schwartz still served as a non-executive director despite leaving the company.

“I’m on the Board of Directors, and I’m CTO Emeritus,” Schwartz confirmed.

Additionally, Schwartz revealed that meetings with former engineering colleagues occur twice monthly, alongside occasional visits to Ripple’s offices. The clarification establishes that Schwartz retains corporate governance responsibilities without returning to full-time executive management.

I'm on the Board of Directors and I'm CTO Emeritus. I still meet with my former team twice a month and show up randomly at Ripple offices and say "hi".

— David 'JoelKatz' Schwartz (@JoelKatz) November 3, 2026

David Schwartz Maintains XRP Ledger Involvement After Leaving Executive Role

Schwartz joined Ripple as chief cryptographer in 2011 before becoming chief technology officer in July 2018. The executive transitioned into retirement at the end of December 2025, subsequently assuming board responsibilities and the CTO Emeritus designation.

Despite leaving daily operations, Schwartz remains involved in XRP Ledger research and infrastructure development. The former executive operates an XRP Ledger node and publishes its output data while exploring additional XRP applications. These activities maintain Schwartz’s technical involvement beyond Ripple’s existing commercial initiatives.

David Schwartz Warns Crypto Users About Suspected SecuX Wallet Phishing Attempt

Separately, Schwartz warned cryptocurrency users about a suspected phishing attempt involving a suspicious SecuX wallet notification back in October. According to 36Crypto, an Android notification warned about a critical vulnerability and directed users toward an external verification website.

The fraudulent website reportedly requested sensitive wallet recovery phrases containing 12 or 24 words. Schwartz explained that tapping the notification opened the wallet application normally, without immediately revealing suspicious activity. Further examination of notification history exposed the fraudulent recovery website associated with the warning.

Schwartz Expands XRP Involvement Through Evernorth and Ripple’s Swell Event

Schwartz also accepted a strategic advisory position at Evernorth, a Ripple-backed company developing an XRP treasury strategy. Additionally, Schwartz joined RippleX engineering head Ayo Akinyele during Ripple’s October Swell event.

Their discussion covered XRP Ledger development, engineering decisions, and infrastructure requirements for financial applications. Schwartz’s activities demonstrate ongoing involvement in Ripple governance and XRP Ledger development despite retirement from executive responsibilities.