Ripple CTO emeritus David Schwartz has responded to renewed debate over XRP’s price history and Ripple’s relationship with the token, saying that a return to the $0.25 range would be “unlikely,” even though he noted that sharp declines have happened before in crypto markets. His remarks came during a series of exchanges on X, where users questioned whether XRP could repeat the kind of cycle that once took it from around $3 down to nearly $0.20.
Schwartz commented while replying to a user who asked whether XRP, if it ever reached $4, could later fall back to about $0.25 to $0.31. In response, he said XRP had already risen to $3 and later dropped to $0.20, which meant such a move could not be ruled out entirely. At the same time, he described that scenario as unlikely, adding that many price moves that later occurred had also once appeared unlikely.
The exchange followed a wider discussion about Ripple’s business model and its use of XRP sales. Critics on X argued that Ripple’s structure creates tension between equity investors and public token holders, especially after the company repurchased $750 million worth of shares at a reported $50 billion valuation. Some commentators said retail XRP buyers help fund corporate growth while shareholders receive the direct financial benefit.
Debate over XRP sales and Ripple share buybacks
Schwartz rejected the claim that Ripple’s financial decisions automatically work against XRP holders. He argued that if Ripple’s XRP sales place steady pressure on the token’s price, that condition is visible to the market and affects both buyers and sellers under the same terms. According to him, a lower market price caused by a known and ongoing factor does not by itself create a one-sided disadvantage for holders.
He also said the same argument could be turned around, because lower prices may allow market participants to accumulate more XRP than they otherwise could.
Schwartz was responding in part to criticism from Chainlink supporter Zach Rynes, who said XRP holders do not receive ownership in Ripple and therefore are not gaining direct exposure to the company’s expansion, acquisitions, or stock buybacks. Rynes argued that Ripple can sell pre-mined XRP, use those funds for company goals, and still leave token buyers without shareholder rights.
Other users in the discussion pushed back on that criticism by comparing XRP to other major cryptocurrencies. They noted that holding assets such as ETH or SOL does not give investors an ownership stake in companies connected to those ecosystems either. In that view, XRP functions as a digital asset tied to network use and market demand rather than as company equity. Schwartz’s comments stayed focused on market mechanics, not on equating XRP with Ripple stock.
Schwartz also addressed claims about how Ripple and its early team viewed XRP’s future value. In separate posts, he said that during XRP’s early years, very few people expected the token to reach later price levels. He wrote that if anyone had believed XRP would trade at $1.50 in 2025, they would not have sold it for much lower prices years earlier. He made a similar point about Ethereum, saying he once sold 40,000 ETH at $1.05 because he believed its rally had ended.
Despite the criticism, the XRP price has jumped today, with the price witnessing a 7% jump from the 24-hour low to trade at $1.52. Amid this recovery, Crypto analyst Javon Marks has forecasted that XRP may still be setting up for a major upside continuation, with the price currently trading near $1.50 and the broader structure still supporting a target above $15.
XRP/USD price chart | Source: X
The chart shows key support around $0.95 and $0.65, while the next important resistance levels stand near $1.90 and $3.60. If XRP breaks out of the current flag structure, the move could extend toward $7.00 before targeting the $14.00 to $15.00 region.
