David Schwartz, Ripple's Chief Technology Officer Emeritus, finally addressed a six-month-old post about his early sales of XRP and Ethereum — and the explanation is more personal than market-driven. Schwartz said he sold both tokens at every new all-time high because of a pact with his wife, driven by his own dislike of financial risk. The reply, which surfaced this week, has reignited chatter among XRP holders about profit-taking, though Schwartz made clear his comments were about personal choices from years ago, not a prediction for today.
The old post and the reply
The original post, from early 2026, questioned Schwartz's decision to sell XRP at $0.10 and Ethereum near $1 — prices that now look impossibly low. Schwartz, who once held about 26 million XRP tokens and has steadily trimmed that position, didn't respond at the time. This week he broke his silence, explaining that the sales were part of a standing agreement with his wife: sell at every new all-time high. "I hate financial risk," Schwartz wrote, according to the post. The reply quickly circulated through XRP-focused channels, with some community members interpreting it as a subtle reminder to take profits when the token eventually reclaims its peak.
What Schwartz actually said — and didn't say
Schwartz's comments were backward-looking, not forward-looking. He described a personal discipline he followed years ago, not a strategy for the current market. XRP traded near $1.13 on July 21, 2026, up 4.1% over 24 hours, but still well below its all-time high of $3.65 from July 2025. The gap between that peak and today's price means the "sell at ATH" trigger hasn't been hit in over a year. Schwartz didn't offer any opinion on whether XRP will reach new highs, and he didn't advise anyone else on what to do. The speculation that his reply was a coded profit-taking signal appears to be wishful reading by the community.
XRP price context
XRP's current price of $1.13 is a far cry from the $3.65 record set just 12 months ago. The token has been range-bound for much of 2026, with regulatory uncertainty in the U.S. weighing on sentiment. The timing of Schwartz's reply — during a relatively quiet period for XRP — may have amplified its impact. But the price move this week (up 4.1%) is modest and could just as easily be tied to broader market conditions as to Schwartz's words.
The CLARITY Act factor
Beyond Schwartz's personal trading history, a bigger regulatory story looms. The CLARITY Act, which aims to permanently establish the regulatory framework for crypto and XRP, has an upcoming vote in the U.S. Senate. The bill's progress is being watched closely by XRP holders, who see it as a potential catalyst for price and adoption. Whether Schwartz's disclosure has any bearing on that vote is unlikely, but the coincidence of timing — a CTO explaining old sales just as lawmakers prepare to decide the rules — adds a layer of context to the week's news.
