Ripple confirmed a leadership transition as longtime CTO David Schwartz moves into an emeritus role and joins the board. The departure ends his thirteen-year tenure at Ripple. Schwartz led the technical strategy and global engineering teams at the firm. He was a major contributor to developing Ripple’s cross-border payment infrastructure.
Schwartz will serve on the board. The role will enable him to engage at a strategic level. The CTO Emeritus title formalizes his ongoing consultation with the company. Schwartz publicly described plans to retire in October 2025.
He explained it was a decision based on personal priorities. He stressed that he wanted to take a break from daily duties while staying connected to meaningful work. Dennis Jarosch, formerly Senior Vice President of Engineering, will oversee technical operations. Brad Garlinghouse credited him with forging the firm’s technology culture.
The change took effect publicly on X on September 30, 2025. Schwartz said at the time that it was time to retire from day-to-day duties. He cited family time and longstanding hobbies as motivators. Schwartz became an advisor.
He recently joined Evernorth as a strategic advisor with broadened participation in the technology industry. His emeritus status is not affected by this position. Schwartz plans to devote more time to practical activity in the XRP Ledger ecosystem. This work includes research on technical advancements and experimental applications.
He also said he was interested in expanding XRP applications beyond Ripple’s core business. He noted that independent ecosystem development remains a long-term concern. These could include developer services, infrastructure, and other forms of alternative payment models. The industry’s reaction was largely favorable, highlighting Schwartz’s legacy.
His technical leadership was credited by many as a way to make Ripple more credible. Overall, the leadership change signals Ripple’s maturation as an organization. Although executive positions are evolving, supporting players do not disappear. As Ripple proceeds with its payment plan, Schwartz is likely to continue his influence via advisory channels.
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