As many may know, there were three main people behind the creation of XRP Ledger, XRP and Ripple: David Schwartz, Jed McCaleb and Arthur Britto. If the first two are well known and have an established media presence, the latter remains a rather mysterious person and is rarely in the spotlight.
However, in a recent social media conversation, the enigmatic figure of Arthur Britto re-emerged after David Schwartz, Ripple’s current CTO, suddenly answered a question that had gone unanswered for over three years. When asked if he was Britto, Schwartz replied that he was not.
More to the point, Schwartz added that Britto is a separate and distinct human being in his own right, and as such is intensely private. “I’m happy to take credit for his ideas, though — he doesn’t mind,” the XRPL architect cheekily added.
No. He is a separate and distinct human being in his own right. But he is intensely private. I’ll gladly take credit for his ideas though — he doesn’t mind.
— David “JoelKatz” Schwartz (@JoelKatz) November 27, 2024
Schwartz’s initial conversation about Britto was about their relationship as founders of Ripple and XRP Ledger. While Jed McCaleb eventually parted ways with Ripple to establish Stellar (XLM), the trio’s collaboration significantly shaped the digital asset landscape.
XRP: Origin story
Further elaborating on the company’s history, Schwartz hinted at the challenges Ripple faced, particularly the tensions surrounding McCaleb’s departure. According to Schwartz, Ripple experienced significant friction when McCaleb founded Stellar.
He brought up issues like corporate governance and diverging priorities as contributing factors, noting the broader challenges in crypto start-ups, where loyalty to personal enrichment often clashes with driving true innovation.
Britto, on the other hand, has remained committed to his work without wading into controversy or public scrutiny. As Schwartz acknowledged, Britto’s contributions have been crucial, but his preference for privacy continues to define his role in the XRP Ledger’s origin story.
