Ripple CTO Emeritus Details Hidden Tech Keeping XRP Safe From Big Money

Cover image via U.Today Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by our writers are their own and do not represent the views of U.Today. The financial and market information provided on U.Today is intended for informational purposes only. U.Today is not liable for any financial losses incurred while trading cryptocurrencies. Conduct your own research by contacting financial experts before making any investment decisions. We believe that all content is accurate as of the date of publication, but certain offers mentioned may no longer be available. The public acknowledgment by Charles Hoskinson, who described the XRPL architecture as "very elegant," sparked new debates about the network's actual decentralization. Ripple CTO Emeritus David Schwartz stepped into the discussion to explain how the ledger protects itself from covert capture by large corporations. Advertisement Schwartz points to a classic paradox - in cryptocurrencies, capital usually rules. Large corporations can afford expensive hardware and entire engineering teams, which is why their nodes and validators operate flawlessly and without interruptions. How XRPL stops big tech from buying out the network According to Schwartz, if the creators of XRP Ledger had focused only on achieving perfect technical stability, the network would have quickly fallen under the full control of a handful of IT giants. To prevent that outcome, Schwartz insists on attracting a large number of ordinary independent participants from different regions. HOT Stories Bitcoin (BTC) Says Goodbye to $80,000, Dogecoin (DOGE) Spikes 50% Hinting at New Rally, Toncoin (TON) Risks Losing $2: Crypto Market Review XRP Crushes Every Major Coin with Massive Gains But that raises a problem: what happens if their servers suddenly go offline because of internet outages or power failures? Advertisement You Might Also Like Fri, 05/15/2026 - 05:17 'Washington Gets It': Ripple Exec Cheers Crypto Bill Vote By Alex Dovbnya To solve this dilemma, Schwartz and his team implemented the Negative UNL (Negative Unique Node List) mechanism. If a small independent participant suddenly goes offline, the remaining servers, through consensus, temporarily place that participant on a blacklist and continue processing payments quickly without waiting for them. Schwartz emphasizes the "surprising detail" that this list cannot be turned into a censorship weapon. Even if large corporations colluded and deliberately added an independent participant to it, they still would not be able to strip that participant of voting rights. Advertisement But it's really only a partial exclusion. You can still fully participate in consensus, vote on amendments, vote on fees, and participate in transaction ordering. Only your validations are ignored. — David 'JoelKatz' Schwartz (@JoelKatz) May 15, 2026 This is only a partial exclusion, as Ripple CTO Emeritus explains that the mechanism disables only the technical function of confirming payments so the network does not slow down, while the node retains full political power. It can still vote against fee changes, oppose bad updates, and continue influencing the blockchain's future. In the end, as Schwartz concludes, large companies are physically incapable of pushing smaller players out of the system. The blockchain remains protected from technical failures while staying free from corporate capture. #Ripple News #XRP #XRPL #XRP Ledger #XRP News