- Here’s what Schwartz plans to do in retirement
- Ripple has no plans to buy a cryptocurrency exchange: Monica Long
David Schwartz, who recently stepped down as Ripple’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and retired, addressed the XRP community in his traditional tongue-in-cheek manner and announced his retirement plans.
Notably, Schwartz was one of the co-founders of XRP Ledger, which is now owned by Ripple.
Here’s what Schwartz plans to do in retirement
As 2026 began, Schwartz adjusted his bio on his X account, changing the name of his position at Ripple to “CTO Emeritus,” which means “retired.” However, while he will step down from this role and retire overall, David Schwartz will join Ripple’s board of directors at the invitation of Chris Larsen, Ripple’s co-founder, former CEO and currently its executive chairman. Additionally, Schwartz is also an advisor to a cryptocurrency treasury company that accumulates XRP, Evernorth.
As for his retirement plans, Schwartz wryly stated that he intends to spend his time “thinking about deep and important things.” Until now, I had thought “strawberry ice cream.”
Ripple has no plans to buy a cryptocurrency exchange: Monica Long
In other Ripple-related news, on Tuesday, company president Monica Long shared Ripple’s updates on its 2026 growth and merger strategy with Bloomberg.
According to Long, Ripple plans to implement “vertical integration,” meaning they intend to build “the full stack” of cryptocurrencies, which would combine blockchain, RLUSD, and cryptocurrency custody (Palisade).
The president also shared the company’s plans for its acquisition strategy. It will include “focusing on technology to accelerate infrastructure and businesses like GTreasury to bring more than 1,000 companies into the chain.”
Additionally, Monica Long refuted rumors about Ripple’s plans to acquire a crypto exchange that have been circulating in the crypto community. “While exchanges are key partners, Ripple has no plans to purchase one,” he stated.