Ripple CTO Laughs at Claim, XRP is Centralized Since 1991, Calls it ‘Incredibly Stupid’

The debate about XRP’s supposed centralization continues to rage between Bitcoin proponents and the XRP Army. 

In a tweet early today, an impostor account of BTC maximalist Max Keiser shared an article titled “Was the XRP Ledger Centralized from the Start? Ripple Community Debates.”

The tweet got the attention of Ripple’s Chief Technology Officer, David Schwartz. The CTO expressed amusement at the argument’s apparent lack of merit that he found nothing worth clarifying therein.

“This is such an incredibly stupid argument I have no idea how I could possibly respond to it other than to laugh,” Schwartz remarked.

This is such an incredibly stupid argument I have no idea how I could possibly respond to it other than to laugh. https://t.co/fqlVNtzE4c

— David “JoelKatz” Schwartz (@JoelKatz) September 27, 2023

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XRP Community Weighs In 

Similarly, Matt Hamilton, an ex-Ripple engineer, echoed Schwartz’s sentiment. Hamilton remarked:

“It really is amazing how stupid you are that you propagate this nonsense. The patent you talked about was literally two decades before XRP, and yet you think it was about XRP?”

It really is amazing how stupid you are that you propogate this nonsense. The patent you talked about was literally two decades before XRP and yet you think it was about XRP?

Cope harder.

— Matt Hamilton (@HammerToe) September 27, 2023

Meanwhile, some members of the XRP community expressed a view that Schwartz should not have dignified the article with a response. They believe his reply has helped amplify the post that was begging for attention in the first place.

Besides, Josh Giersch, a former employee of Ripple, pointed out to Schwartz that the tweet from someone impersonating Max Keiser. Schwartz responded sarcastically that the Bitcoin maxi himself could say something similar. After all, Keiser reignited the whole controversy this week, as The Crypto Basic reported. 

XRP Centralization Claim

Over the weekend, Keiser posted a 1991 patent document to argue that “XRP is centralized.” However, the paper had no mention of digital assets, much less XRP, which emerged 11 years ago.

Significantly, the patent’s abstract suggested that it pertained to a computer system comprising numerous interconnected counterparts collaboratively processing tasks. 

While the concept may bear relevance to the distributed ledger technology that serves as the foundation for modern cryptocurrencies, Schwartz has clarified the import of the patent.

In a recent tweet, Schwartz noted that his patent centered around a distinct concept that gradually lost relevance as time passed.