David Schwartz, the current CTO Emeritus at Ripple, has stirred up the XRP community by setting a “Fuzzybear” image as his profile picture on X. The move immediately revived one of the XRP community’s oldest conspiracy theories surrounding a mysterious anonymous figure known as bearableguy123. Longtime XRP holders connected the image to years of speculation about XRP’s future, including wild price predictions and claims of global dominance.
The “Fuzzybear” name carries historical significance within XRP circles because a wallet using that name first appeared during OpenCoin’s early network period in 2013. Later, the wallet became widely known after placing a decentralized exchange order offering 1 XRP for 1 BTC. Consequently, many XRP supporters began associating the account with hidden messages and folklore. Several community members also revisited old rumors claiming Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse could be linked to the bearableguy123 identity, though no evidence supports these claims.
Schwartz’s profile picture change attracted additional interest because he recently interacted with a meme coin project carrying the same “Fuzzybear” branding. He had opened a technical trustline to test AMM pools, adding layers of coincidence. However, the situation is ironic given Schwartz’s recent campaign against fake narratives. He publicly rejected extreme XRP price projections of $10,000, called the global reserve currency theory a myth, and described meme coin speculation as “distasteful” and irresponsible.
The avatar update sparked nostalgia among older XRP holders who remember the network’s early days. Some see it as a nod to meme culture from Ripple’s leadership, while others suspect Schwartz is simply mocking an overly impressionable audience. The question remains how long Schwartz will keep the bear as his avatar, and whether Brad Garlinghouse might join in on the joke.
