Ripple CTO David Schwartz hints that XRPL co-founder Arthur Britto may be linked to the mysterious X.23 XRP wallet, breaking 14 years of silence.
CTO of Ripple David Schwartz has suggested that Arthur Britto, the enigmatic co-creator of the XRP Ledger, may have disclosed his identity after a 14-year silence.
Arthur Britto’s cryptic post on X sparked speculation, with users suggesting a potential connection between him and the enigmatic XRP wallet ‘X.23’.
This prompted a response from Schwartz.
Who is Arthur Britto? David Schwartz Offers His Opinion
A surge of speculation has emerged as many continue questioning Arthur Britto’s true identity and the motivation behind his return.
An X user expressed apprehension regarding the potential connection between Britto and an enigmatic XRP wallet known as “X.23.”
This development has piqued the interest of Ripple CTO David Schwartz, who expressed his suspicion in an X post, stating, “I don’t know for sure, but I suspect that’s him given the creation date and the PayString.”
X.23 is the codename of the XRP wallet, which is associated with the account name “ahbritto,” according to the account details provided by the X user.
The account’s current balance is 12,429.77 XRP, with 2.20 XRP reserved and 12,427.57 XRP available for use.
Schwartz emphasizes that the wallet’s PayString is ahbritto$bithomp.com, which resembles Arthur Britto.
It is important to note that wallet X.23 was activated on January 1, 2013, initially containing a genesis balance of 49,999.99 XRP. Britto’s extended period of digital dormancy is also congruent with this creation date.
A transaction sent to this wallet with the memo ‘THEZZY_SIGNAL:0001’ was identified by another X user just days before Arthur Britto’s post on X.
This prompts speculation regarding whether it is more than a mere coincidence.
The co-founder’s identity has been the subject of intense speculation due to the intriguing connections between the wallet’s activity and Britto’s post.
Ripple CTO Explains What Happened With Britto’s Return
Arthur Britto, the enigmatic co-founder of the XRP Ledger, unexpectedly returned to the public eye on June 24 with his first social media post since 2011.
He shared a message consisting of an emoji of a visage without a mouth.
Though this emoji appears to represent speechlessness, the interpretation may differ.
Significantly, Britto’s return coincides with the release of the XRP Ledger’s Software Update 2.5.0.
Although the account’s sudden apparition after a prolonged silence sparked widespread rumors of a potential hack, David Schwartz verified that the account is legitimate.
“I can verify that this was not a hack or compromise,” he wrote on X.
Arthur Britto is frequently called the “ghost” in the crypto space due to his enigmatic identity, despite being a co-founder of the XRP Ledger with David Schwartz and Jed McCaleb.
He has preserved his silence for years, refraining from making public statements or participating in interviews.
In response to the growing speculation regarding Arthur Britto’s mysterious post, Schwartz proposed a humorous hypothesis.
He suggested that Britto implemented a “deadman switch” several years ago.
Based on this hypothesis, the switch would transmit control of Britto’s XRP Ledger accounts to Schwartz if he failed to post on X for 15 years.
The Ripple CTO jokingly suggested that Britto was compelled to publish a public statement to turn off the switch, as he had seemingly forgotten how to do so.