David Schwartz, Ripple’s former Chief Technology Officer, has firmly denied allegations that a non-disclosure agreement restricts his public statements about the company and XRP. Responding to community speculation, he asserted that no such agreement compels him to deceive XRP holders. Schwartz emphasized his commitment to honesty, stating he would never intentionally mislead the public. These comments emerged after an XRP enthusiast suggested that Schwartz might be bound by a legal gag order preventing him from speaking freely. The debate intensified as users scrutinized Schwartz’s cautious remarks on XRP price predictions, particularly the claim that XRP could reach $10,000.
Schwartz challenged the $10,000 target, arguing that current market dynamics do not support such a valuation. He pointed out that if wealthy investors had even a 1% belief in XRP hitting $10,000 within a decade, they would likely drive the price much higher today. He questioned why this isn’t happening, dismissing conspiracy theories as unfounded. At the time of his posts, XRP was trading around $1.38, highlighting the gap between current prices and extreme forecasts. This discrepancy has fueled ongoing discussions within the XRP community.
Additionally, Schwartz addressed a resurfaced 2017 post about XRP price and liquidity. Critics interpreted the post as a promise of high future prices, but Schwartz clarified that it simply explained market mechanics, focusing on liquidity needs and transaction volume. He considered deleting the old post but chose not to, fearing it would cause more confusion and remove valuable context. The gag order debate is part of broader speculation about Ripple’s NDAs and hidden deals with governments or banks. Schwartz maintains that NDAs are standard business tools and not evidence of secret XRP adoption plans. His stance reaffirms that Ripple’s business practices are transparent and not aimed at manipulating XRP’s value.