Ripple’s David Schwartz denies gag order claims as XRP debate grows

Ripple CTO Emeritus David Schwartz has pushed back against claims that a non-disclosure agreement or “gag order” controls his public comments about Ripple and XRP. 

The dispute followed fresh community criticism over his recent comments on extreme XRP price targets.

Schwartz responded after an XRP community member claimed he may be bound by an NDA that prevents him from speaking truthfully about Ripple or XRP. The claim came as users debated whether his recent comments were too cautious.

He rejected that view and defended his own integrity. Schwartz said, “I would never lie,” while denying that any post-departure agreement forces him to mislead the community.

The remarks add to a wider debate around Ripple, XRP price expectations, and long-running claims about hidden plans. Crypto.news reported that Schwartz remains one of the most active public voices in the XRP ecosystem, even after stepping back from his day-to-day CTO role at the end of 2025.

$10,000 XRP target faces pushback

The latest dispute also connects to claims that XRP could reach $10,000. Schwartz has questioned that view, saying current market behavior does not support such confidence.

He argued that if wealthy and rational investors believed there was even a 1% chance of XRP reaching $10,000 in ten years, they would bid XRP much higher today. He asked, “Why aren’t they? Conspiracy?”

XRP was trading near $1.38 when Schwartz made the recent posts, according to crypto.news. That gap between current price levels and extreme targets has kept the debate active across the XRP community.

Old XRP comments return to focus

Schwartz has also addressed criticism of a 2017 post about XRP price and liquidity. Some users have treated the post as proof that XRP was designed to reach a very high price.

Crypto.news reported that Schwartz said the old post explained market mechanics, not a promised price target. He said the discussion focused on liquidity needs, transaction size, and market depth.

He also said he considered deleting the old post but decided not to. His reason was that removing it could create more confusion and remove useful context from the public record.

Moreover, the gag order debate follows other claims about Ripple’s NDAs and possible hidden government or banking deals tied to XRP. Schwartz has said Ripple uses NDAs for normal business reasons, not as proof of secret XRP adoption plans.