Ripple confirms leadership transition as longtime CTO David Schwartz moves into an emeritus role and joins the company board.
Ripple confirmed that veteran executive David Schwartz has stepped away from day-to-day leadership duties this week. The firm reported that Schwartz officially ended his working tenure at the end of December 2025. He also changed his work designation in the market to CTO Emeritus.
The departure brings to an end a thirteen-year tenure at Ripple. Schwartz was in charge of the technical strategy and the world engineering teams of the firm at this time. He was a major contributor to developing the Ripple cross-border payment infrastructure.
Ripple Confirms Leadership Transition After Thirteen-Year Tenure
Schwartz is also a well-known co-architect of the XRP Ledger. For more than ten years, he contributed to its fundamental architecture and technical direction. His work, therefore, impacted Ripple in terms of their enterprise product and in the overall blockchain adoption.
Ripple also says that Schwartz will be a board member. This position will enable him to be engaged at a strategic level. Also, the title CTO Emeritus makes his further consultation with the company official.
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
Schwartz publicly described his plans to retire in October 2025. He explained that it was a choice based on consideration of personal priorities. He stressed the idea that he wanted to take a break in his daily duties but still be in touch with significant work.
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Schwartz said then that it was time to retire to his day-to-day activities. He also mentioned family time and long-known hobbies as some of the motivators. His announcement had been subsequently reiterated in terms of social media updates.
Another leadership succession plan was also affirmed by Ripple. Dennis Jarosch, who used to work as Senior Vice President of Engineering, is in charge of technical operations. The company termed the transition as a planned one and in advance.
Executives commended the contributions of Schwartz in the long term. Chief Executive Brad Garlinghouse of Ripple publicly credited him with forging the technology culture of the firm. Other leaders shared the same sentiments after the announcement.
In addition to Ripple, Schwartz became a new advisor. He has recently joined Evernorth as a strategic advisor with a broadened participation in the technological industry. His emeritus status is not obviated by this position.
Schwartz Signals Ongoing XRPL Work and Broader Ecosystem Focus
Although she will withdraw, Schwartz has no intention to fully retire in development. According to him, he plans to devote more hours to practical activity in the XRP Ledger ecosystem. It incorporates research on technical advancements and experimental applications.
He also said he was interested in the expansion of XRP applications outside the core business of Ripple. Based on his statement, independent ecosystem development is still a long-term concern. These can be developer services, infrastructure and other forms of alternative payment models.
This change publicly took effect on X on September 30, 2025. The industry’s reaction was mostly favorable, highlighting the legacy of Schwartz. His technical leadership was credited by many as a way of making Ripple more credible.
Overall, the change of leadership is a manifestation of the maturation of Ripple as an organization. Although the executive positions in the evolving roles are changing, the supporting players do not disappear. As the Ripple company proceeds with its payment plan, Schwartz is likely to continue his influence via the advisory avenue.
