92% reduction and still holding 2 million units: Ripple's former CTO clarifies uncleared positions

According to Woofun AI, Ripple's emeritus chief technology officer David Schwartz (David Schwartz) clearly denied the clearance rumors and confirmed that it still holds around 2 million XRP and maintains long-term confidence in the ecosystem.

In response to questions about the drastic reduction in holdings, Schwartz pointed out on the X platform that its XRP holdings have dropped from a peak of 26 million units to the current level, a 92% drop. According to data compiled by Woofun AI, since no specific transaction details were disclosed, the reduction in assets may be due to various channels such as sale, transfer, gift, or consumption, rather than a simple market sell-off. He previously mentioned that he reduced his holdings when the XRP price was around $0.10. The core logic was to avoid the risk of cryptocurrency's high volatility.

In terms of career trajectory, Schwartz retired from day-to-day management at the end of 2025 and became a board member, with Dennis Jarosch (Dennis Jarosch) taking over technical responsibilities. Despite the role shift, he retained his shares in Ripple and a large amount of XRP.

Notably, the time point of August 17, 2026 was mentioned, implying that its asset allocation strategy is still being adjusted and is not completely separated from the company's core interests.

Schwartz's investment philosophy was heavily influenced by his early Ethereum experiences. He bought 40,000 ETH for $0.311 and sold it when the price rose to $1.05. The money was used to buy solar panels. This missed the case of a subsequent surge, making it more cautious in risk management. This disclosure of XRP positions continues this line of thinking, emphasizing asset preservation under uncertainty rather than blindly optimistic price predictions.