Current CTO Emeritus at Ripple, David Schwartz, sparked a wave of speculation in the XRP community after setting a "Fuzzybear" image as his profile picture on X. For supporters of conspiracy theories, this move became a long-awaited secret sign, even though Schwartz had recently dismantled the key myths around this meme conspiracy theory.

For those not deep in the lore, for radical XRP supporters, the bear image is not just a picture, but the Holy Grail of local folklore, going back to the mysterious anonymous figure bearableguy123. This character spent years publishing financial cryptograms, predicting XRP's global dominance and the sacred price of $589.

The many XRP conspiracy theories

A wallet named Fuzzybear was first activated by OpenCoin back in the early days of the network in 2013, and later became famous for a legendary DEX order offering 1 XRP for 1 BTC. Some even believe that Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse was the person behind the mysterious account.

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That is why Schwartz's avatar change instantly connected these old myths with recent reality, specifically the launch of the synonymous meme coin, for which Ripple's CTO Emeritus opened a technical trustline to test AMM pools. Of course, this layering of coincidences turned an ordinary profile change into perfect fuel for wild fan theories. 

David Schwartz's X profile with updated pic, Source: X

While some see it as a long-awaited recognition of meme culture from Ripple's leadership, others understand that Schwartz, a known fan of XRPL NFTs and subtle online humor, is most likely just elegantly mocking an overly impressionable audience.

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The paradox of the situation is that 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, and 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.

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