Longtime Ripple CTO steps back from daily operations
David Schwartz, who helped build Ripple’s technical foundation for over a decade, has officially moved into an emeritus role this week. The veteran executive updated his social media profiles to reflect his new title as “CTO Emeritus” after previously announcing his retirement plans back in October 2025.
Schwartz was instrumental in shaping Ripple’s cross-border payment systems and led the global engineering team. He’s perhaps best known as one of the original architects of the XRP Ledger itself. That’s no small thing when you consider how central that technology has been to Ripple’s entire business model.
Board position and succession plans
In his October statement, Schwartz mentioned he’d be joining Ripple’s board of directors. “Chris asked me to join Ripple’s Board of Directors to continue supporting the company’s mission and long-term vision…and I accept!” he wrote at the time. That seems like a sensible move—keeping his institutional knowledge within the company structure while freeing him from day-to-day management responsibilities.
The technical leadership baton passes to Dennis Jarosch, Ripple’s Senior Vice President of Engineering. Jarosch will now direct the company’s technology organization. I’m curious to see how this transition affects Ripple’s development roadmap, but having someone already familiar with the internal workings take over probably makes for a smoother handoff.
Personal priorities and community commitment
Schwartz was pretty clear about his personal reasons for stepping back. “I’m really looking forward to spending more time with the kids and grandkids and going back to the hobbies I set aside,” he said in his retirement announcement. After more than ten years in a demanding executive role, that’s completely understandable.
What’s interesting, though, is his continued connection to the XRP community. “Be warned, I’m not going away from the XRP community. You haven’t seen the last of me,” Schwartz stated. That suggests he’ll remain involved in some capacity, perhaps as an advisor or through community engagement.
Looking ahead for Ripple
Leadership transitions like this always bring questions about continuity and direction. Schwartz expressed gratitude to CEO Brad Garlinghouse and President Monica Long, calling them “the very soul of Ripple itself.” That kind of endorsement matters, especially when a founding technical leader steps back.
The move comes at a time when Ripple continues navigating regulatory challenges while expanding its global payment network. Having Schwartz on the board rather than in daily operations might actually provide some benefits—he can offer strategic guidance without getting bogged down in operational details.
It’s worth noting that emeritus positions often allow for continued involvement at a more selective pace. Schwartz can probably choose which projects or discussions he wants to engage with, which might actually lead to more focused contributions when he does participate.
For the XRP community, his continued presence is likely reassuring. The technology he helped create remains central to many projects and use cases, and having its original architect still around in some capacity provides a sense of continuity.
