The Ripple CTO, David Schwartz, recently humorously suggested that he may not ask his younger self to buy XRP, as it could “trigger a paradox.”
Schwartz mentioned this during a light-hearted conversation in the crypto community. Notably, media outlet CoinDesk triggered this conversation with an age-old question surrounding early crypto investments.
Ripple CTO Confirms He Would Ask His Younger Self to Buy Bitcoin
Specifically, CoinDesk shared a graphic asking its audience what they would say to their 18-year-old selves if they had the opportunity to go back in time and express just three words. The CoinDesk intern noted that he would ask his younger self to “buy more crypto.”
Responding to this query, the Ripple CTO revealed that he would specifically express the words “2010 Bitcoin 100,000.” Notably, at 18 years old, Schwartz would still not have witnessed the emergence of Bitcoin. As a result, he could have had the chance to tell his younger self about the crypto asset long before its debut in 2009.
Market data confirms that in 2010, Bitcoin’s price topped at $0.39, presenting the perfect opportunity for massive accumulation. If Schwartz’s younger self got his message and amassed 100,000 BTC in 2010, he would have spent $39,000 or less. Today, these tokens are worth $11.5 billion.
Why Bitcoin Instead of XRP
However, XRP also presents similar accumulation opportunities. Notably, if Schwartz’s younger self spent the $39,000 on XRP at its low of $0.0028 in July 2014, he would have scooped up 13.93 million XRP tokens. Today, those tokens are worth $36 million, way lower than Bitcoin’s returns.
Despite this, Schwartz’s decision to pick Bitcoin over XRP raised questions among community members, especially considering his involvement with the XRP project. Specifically, one commenter asked, “What about XRP?”
For context, the Ripple CTO did make a decision regarding XRP investments that he may regret now. According to a disclosure last January, Schwartz confirmed that he went for Ripple shares instead of XRP tokens. Today, he still wonders if that was a good decision, as he noted that the XRP would have been more liquid.
Naturally, one would expect that he would seize any opportunity to right that decision if he felt it was the wrong one. Responding to questions surrounding the decision not to tell his younger self about XRP, he humorously noted that XRP is too closely tied to his own work, and telling himself about it could create a paradox.
That's too entangled with my own efforts! Me telling myself about XRP would likely trigger a paradox. pic.twitter.com/lsJCyLZWGo
— David 'JoelKatz' Schwartz (@JoelKatz) October 28, 2025