David Schwartz, the current CTO Emeritus at Ripple, has reignited a wave of speculation within the XRP community after changing his profile picture on X to an image of a “Fuzzybear.” For loyal conspiracy theory followers, this move was seen as a long-awaited secret sign, even though Schwartz had recently debunked key myths surrounding this meme-driven narrative.
For those unfamiliar with the lore, the bear image is not just a simple picture for radical XRP supporters. It represents the holy grail of local folklore, tracing back to the mysterious anonymous figure known as bearableguy123. This individual spent years publishing financial cryptograms, predicting XRP’s global dominance and a sacred price target of $589.
The Many XRP Conspiracy Theories
A wallet named Fuzzybear was first activated by OpenCoin in the early days of the network back in 2013. It later gained fame for a legendary decentralized exchange order offering 1 XRP for 1 BTC. Some even believe that Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse was the person behind the mysterious account.
This is why Schwartz’s avatar change instantly connected these old myths with recent reality, specifically the launch of a synonymous meme coin. For this coin, Ripple’s CTO Emeritus opened a technical trustline to test AMM pools. This layering of coincidences turned an ordinary profile change into perfect fuel for wild fan theories.
While some see it as a long-awaited recognition of meme culture from Ripple’s leadership, others understand Schwartz differently. He is a known fan of XRPL NFTs and subtle online humor, and is most likely just elegantly mocking an overly impressionable audience.
The Paradox of the Situation
The profile picture change happened against the backdrop of Schwartz’s broader campaign against fake narratives. Just recently, the Ripple veteran directly stated that there is no secret government plan to turn XRP into a global reserve currency. He also emphasized that price predictions of $10,000 are mathematically irrational fantasies.
He also called investments in memecoins “distasteful” stupidity, stressing that he does not want to be a “billboard for scammers” or defend other people’s financial speculation.
Now the interesting question is how long Schwartz will keep this bear as his avatar. It would be even funnier if Brad Garlinghouse supported the trend and changed his strict corporate photo to a meme from conspiracy theories, given the old rumors that he himself is the very same bearableguy123.
But even without that, this move from Schwartz is exactly what the XRP community definitely did not expect to see in 2026. Especially old-school holders who remember what happened back in 2013.
