Decentralization Debate Heats Up: Ripple CTO Seeks Clarity From Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin

David Schwartz, Ripple’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO), has expressed his fascination with certain points raised by Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin in a research paper. Titled “Blockchain Code as Antitrust” and co-authored by Thibault Schrepel, the document seeks to establish legal safeguards for genuinely decentralized blockchain networks.

A central figure in Ripple’s technology development, found himself pondering the nature and scope of the legal protections proposed in Buterin’s research paper. 

Taking to Twitter, he queried, “Does anyone know what they mean by ‘various legal protections’ mentioned in the highlighted section? I couldn’t deduce it from the paper.”

The Ongoing Decentralization Debate

Schwartz’s inquiry emerges amidst a broader ongoing debate within the cryptocurrency community, specifically regarding the essence of decentralization, particularly within decentralized finance (DeFi) projects.

Former Ripple Director Speaks Out

Recently, Matt Hamilton, former Director of Developer Relations at  , came to the defense of XRP’s decentralization status. In response to a crypto enthusiast’s claim that XRP lacked decentralization and was merely a payment network, Hamilton refuted the statement.

Three weeks ago, while defending XRP’s decentralization, Hamilton revealed an intriguing detail about the XRP Ledger’s creation. He disclosed a unique early association between the XRP Ledger and  Vitalik Buterin Vitalik Buterin   Vitalik Buterin is a well-known tech geek, influencer, and computer programmer. To promote the blockchain, he started Bitcoin Magazine and provided blockchain information for cryptocurrency investors. In 2015, he co-founded Ethereum, a blockchain platform that contributed to decentralized finance.   Quick Facts   Full name Vitaly Dmitrievich Buterin Birth 31-01-1994, Kolomna, Russia Education University of Waterloo Wife/Partner To be updated / Not Married Famous for Ethereum, ETH, Blockchain advocate/promoter  Net Worth $1B (refer for realtime)   Buterin recognized the need for decentralized finance and used smart contracts to publish the Ethereum whitepaper.  His contributions paved the way for Ethereum's transition to Proof-of-Stake, which proved to be scalable and effective. Furthermore, he introduced Ether (ETH), the blockchain platform's native coin. A Timeline of Vitalik’s Career Co-founded Bitcoin Magazine (2011) – Established one of the first crypto publications, writing extensively on Bitcoin and blockchain. Authored Ethereum Whitepaper (2013) – Proposed a blockchain with smart contract functionality for decentralized applications (dApps). Co-founded Ethereum (2015) – Launched Ethereum after a successful $18M ICO, revolutionizing the blockchain ecosystem. Developed Ethereum Virtual Machine (2015–2016) – Created the EVM, enabling developers to build and deploy smart contracts. Worked on Ethereum Scalability (2017–2021) – Contributed to Layer 2 solutions like Rollups, Plasma, and Sharding. Led Ethereum’s Transition to Proof-of-Stake (2018–2022) – Helped develop and implement Ethereum 2.0, merging the Beacon Chain in 2022. Blockchain Research & Cryptography (2016–Present) – Focused on zk-SNARKs, privacy tech, and decentralized governance models. Philanthropy & Crypto Advocacy (2017–Present) – Donated millions in crypto for pandemic relief, AI research, and financial inclusion.   Key Achievements of Ethereum's Co-founder   Year  Achievements Details 2014 Thiel Fellowship Awarded a $100,000 grant by Peter Thiel to work on Ethereum. 2018 Fortune 30 Under 30 Recognized as one of the most influential young leaders in technology. 2018 World Technology Award in IT Software Honored for contributions to blockchain and Ethereum’s development. 2021 Time 100 Most Influential People Recognized for his impact on the global crypto and blockchain ecosystem. 2022 Ethereum’s Transition to Proof-of-Stake Successfully led Ethereum’s transition from Proof-of-Work to Proof-of-Stake.   Other Useful links to connect with Vitalik Buterin   Platform Link X (formerly Twitter) https://twitter.com/VitalikButerin GitHub https://github.com/vbuterin Ethereum Official Website https://ethereum.org Vitalik’s Blog https://vitalik.ca     EntrepreneurCrypto and Blockchain Expert , co-founder of Ethereum. In an interesting anecdote, Hamilton shared that Buterin had once stayed at David Schwartz’s home while striving to secure an internship with Ripple.

Also Read: Ripple To Spend $250,000 For Transparency, But Will It Pay Off? – Coinpedia Fintech News

Schwartz’s Voice in the Debate

David Schwartz, whose couch played a role in Vitalik Buterin’s early career, has been an active participant in this ongoing decentralization debate. He has emphasized how the XRP Ledger’s consensus mechanism ensures a genuine level of decentralization, surpassing even the celebrated proof-of-work blockchains like Bitcoin.

Schwartz’s recent interest in the legal protections proposed by Buterin adds another layer to this ongoing conversation. The exploration of these protections could significantly impact the understanding and implementation of blockchain technology in the future. The outcome of this discussion will be worth following closely.