TLDR
- David Schwartz defended his past XRP sales and rejected claims that selling is morally inferior to holding.
- He said he sold most of his XRP at $0.10 because he never expected it to reach $0.25.
- Critics questioned his earlier skepticism as XRP later surpassed his initial expectations.
- Schwartz argued that if investors believed in a 1% chance of XRP reaching $10,000, prices would already be higher.
- The former Ripple CTO disclosed that he sold 40,000 ETH at $1.05, which would now be worth millions.
David Schwartz has responded to criticism over his past XRP sales and recent price doubts. He rejected claims that selling tokens reflects weak conviction or moral failure. He stated that market participants should act in their own financial interest.
David Schwartz Addresses XRP Criticism and Past Decisions
David Schwartz said he sold most of his $XRP when the price reached $0.10. He explained that he never believed the token would reach $0.25 during its early period. Therefore, he acted on that belief and reduced his holdings.
Everyone had the same opportunity to buy and sell XRP that I did. I did the same thing with bitcoin and ETH and nobody seems to have a problem with that. I utterly reject the idea that selling is somehow morally inferior to buying and have advocated that everyone sell when it's…
— David 'JoelKatz' Schwartz (@JoelKatz) May 5, 2026
However, some community members revisited his past skepticism after XRP surpassed $0.25. They argued that his earlier doubts mirror his current views on higher price targets. In response, Schwartz defended his record and rejected moral judgments.
He wrote on X, “Everyone had the same opportunity to buy and sell $XRP that I did.” He also stated, “I utterly reject the idea that selling is somehow morally inferior to buying.” He added that he has long supported selling when it benefits the holder.
Schwartz also addressed extreme price forecasts for XRP. He questioned projections that place the token at $100 or $10,000. He argued that rational investors would have already pushed prices higher.
He said wealthy investors would buy heavily if they believed in a 1% chance of $10,000. According to him, the buying pressure would have moved XRP to at least $20. Therefore, he expressed doubt about such predictions.
Bitcoin and Ethereum Sales Add to Debate
Schwartz disclosed earlier sales of Bitcoin and Ethereum at lower prices. He revealed that he sold 40,000 $ETH at $1.05 each. At that time, he received $42,000 for the transaction.
Today, those 40,000 $ETH would be worth about $94.2 million. He confirmed that he now holds less than 2 $ETH. He shared these figures during public discussions about his crypto history.
He also described his past Bitcoin holdings. He once held more than 1,000 $BTC. Later, he sold a large portion at $1,000 and nearly all remaining coins at $7,500.
At present, he holds less than 1 $BTC. These disclosures triggered renewed scrutiny from parts of the XRP community. Critics compared those sales to his current stance on the XRP price.
In response, Schwartz rejected the idea that project builders must hold tokens indefinitely. He stated that he finds that reasoning illogical. However, he confirmed that he still holds more than one million $XRP.
He emphasized that he treated XRP, Bitcoin, and Ethereum similarly. He said few people criticized his Bitcoin and Ethereum sales. He repeated that selling assets does not make anyone morally inferior.
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