'Distasteful': Ripple Vet David Schwartz Rejects Treating XRP Meme Coins as Investments
TL;DR
Ripple's David Schwartz criticized the notion of treating XRP meme coins as serious investments, calling it distasteful. He expressed concerns about becoming a promotional figure for potential scams while acknowledging the speculative nature of memecoins.
Key points
- David Schwartz criticized treating memecoins as serious investments
- He finds the idea distasteful and misguided
- Schwartz is concerned about promoting potential scams
- Memecoins lack intrinsic value and rely on speculation
Mentioned in this story
David Schwartz
FUZZY project
Ripple CTO Emeritus David Schwartz once again poured cold water on XRP community members chasing easy money as he openly stated that the very idea of treating memecoins as a serious investment instrument feels simply distasteful to him.
The trigger for the public rejection was a proposal from one of the users on X. Schwartz was repeatedly urged to become the face and chief ambassador of the FUZZY project. On one hand, he does not want to suppress genuine community activity. On the other hand, he is simply afraid of becoming an unwilling promotional shield for hidden scammers who could exploit his authority.
I do find the idea that people think of a memecoin as an investment to be distasteful.
— David 'JoelKatz' Schwartz (@JoelKatz) May 18, 2026
When other participants in the discussion reasonably pointed out that memecoins, by definition, lack intrinsic value and survive purely on "hopium" — blind faith that there will always be someone willing to buy the asset at a higher price — Schwartz agreed. He added that attempts to build a serious investment portfolio around such tokens look ridiculous.
Why wallet activity is not a token endorsement for Schwartz
The reason crypto enthusiasts cling to every word from Schwartz lies in a recent incident involving the FUZZY memecoin. Earlier this month, the developer opened a technical "trust line" for the token, triggering a full-scale wave of conspiracy theories among XRP holders.
To fans, this looked symbolic because the coin's name references the historic Fuzzybear wallet, which the Ripple team activated during the early days of the network launch back in 2013. That wallet once placed the legendary joke order offering to exchange 1 XRP for 1 BTC. Particularly impressionable investors immediately concluded that Schwartz had direct involvement with the project.
Schwartz quickly and firmly shut down those fantasies. He explained that adding a token to a wallet is a purely technical and routine step used for network testing, not a blessing to buy the asset. According to him, he sees FUZZY as nothing more than an amusing internet phenomenon and knows about the project no more than any random passerby.
Q&A
Why did David Schwartz reject the idea of XRP meme coins as investments?
David Schwartz found the concept distasteful, believing that treating memecoins as serious investments is misguided and reflects a lack of intrinsic value.
What concerns did Schwartz express about promoting the FUZZY project?
Schwartz was worried about becoming an unwilling promotional figure for scammers who could exploit his authority within the community.
What did Schwartz say about the value of memecoins?
He agreed that memecoins lack intrinsic value and are based on speculative hope rather than solid investment principles.
