Key Takeaways
- David Schwartz, the long-serving Chief Technology Officer at Ripple, has transitioned to a CTO Emeritus role.
- Schwartz announced his decision to step back from his daily responsibilities in October 2025 to focus on his family and hobbies.
Ripple veteran David Schwartz officially stepped down from the company’s executive leadership this week. The former technology executive also updated his title to “CTO Emeritus” on X and LinkedIn.
Schwartz led the technical evolution of Ripple’s cross-border payment systems and managed the global engineering organization. The XRP Ledger co-architect, who has served as its core leader for more than a decade, will join the board of directors as his next official step.
“The time has come for me to step back from my day-to-day duties as Ripple CTO at the end of this year,” Schwartz said in a statement in October 2025, when he unveiled his retirement plans. “I’m really looking forward to spending more time with the children and grandchildren and getting back to the hobbies I’ve put aside.”
In his October announcement, Schwartz also expressed his gratitude to Ripple’s leadership, including CEO Brad Garlinghouse and President Monica Long, calling them “the soul of Ripple itself.”
“Chris has asked me to join Ripple’s Board of Directors to continue supporting the company’s mission and long-term vision… and I accept!” he said.
With Schwartz’s departure from day-to-day operations, Dennis Jarosch, Ripple’s Senior Vice President of Engineering, will take the lead in leading the company’s technology organization.
Schwartz has affirmed his continued commitment to the XRP community as he embarks on his next chapter.
“Be warned, I’m not leaving the XRP community. You haven’t seen the last of me,” he said.