Ripple CTO Pours Cold Water on Lofty XRP Price Predictions Amid Market Downturn
Ripple Executive Tempers Crypto Community's High-Flying Price Expectations
In a week marked by a sharp 12% decline for XRP, Ripple's Chief Technology Officer David Schwartz has publicly questioned the feasibility of the token reaching the $50 to $100 price targets often touted by optimistic holders. The comments, made on social media platform X, arrived as XRP broke below a key trading range, settling around $1.75.
Schwartz, a key figure in XRP's creation, addressed the speculative chatter head-on. "I'm not comfortable making those kinds of predictions," he stated, adding a note of self-deprecation by acknowledging his own historical price forecasts for crypto have "consistently been wrong." He illustrated this by recalling he began selling some of his XRP holdings at $0.10, believing it was overvalued, and never anticipated it would reach $0.25.
The remarks struck a nerve with a segment of the investment community. "It's demoralizing to hear this from someone at the heart of the project," said one long-term holder who identified as Marcus Chen, a software engineer from Austin. "Many of us built financial plans around a vision of XRP reaching thousands, not debating if it can hit two digits."
Other community members defended Schwartz's caution. "He's in a regulated position and can't engage in price pumping," argued Sarah Wilkinson, a fintech analyst based in London. "His job is to build utility, not fuel speculation. The real growth will come from adoption, not tweets."
In a follow-up post, Schwartz applied a dose of market logic to the debate. He suggested that if a significant number of rational investors genuinely believed there was a strong chance of XRP hitting $100 in the coming years, they would be buying aggressively at current prices, which would push its value higher immediately. The fact that XRP trades far below $10, he reasoned, indicates that such high-conviction belief in triple-digit prices is not widespread in the market.
Market Reaction and Technical Outlook
The token's price action has turned bearish, breaking down decisively from a consolidation zone between $1.85 and $2.00. All key exponential moving averages now loom above the current price, indicating a strong downtrend. Technical analysts note that critical support rests at the recent low of approximately $1.70. A sustained break below this level could trigger further selling, potentially pushing XRP toward the $1.60-$1.65 range. For the bearish momentum to reverse, XRP would need to reclaim the $1.85 level.
The episode highlights a recurring tension in the cryptocurrency space between the pragmatic, often cautious views of builders and the moon-shot aspirations of investors. For veteran trader and commentator, Leo "The Bear" Rostov, Schwartz's comments were a necessary reality check. "The entire market runs on hopium and borrowed time," Rostov said sharply. "When a co-founder tells you to sober up, maybe you should listen instead of yelling at him. These $100 dreams are what lead people to financial ruin."
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