Ripple CTO Fires Back: XRP’s Efficiency Trumps Litecoin’s ’Outdated’ PoW Model

Ripple's chief technology officer just dropped the gauntlet in the great consensus debate—and Litecoin's proof-of-work model is taking direct fire.

The Energy Argument Heats Up

David Schwartz didn't hold back when countering Litecoin's criticism of XRP's validation mechanism. While Litecoin champions its mining-intensive approach, Ripple's CTO highlighted XRP's settlement speed and minimal energy footprint—digging at PoW's notorious electricity consumption without naming names.

Speed vs. Security: The Eternal Trade-Off

XRP's ledger confirms transactions in seconds, not minutes. It bypasses mining entirely, cutting out the energy-guzzling middleman. Litecoin's camp argues this comes at the cost of decentralization, but Schwartz insists the hybrid model offers the best of both worlds—unless you're a GPU manufacturer, of course.

Finance's Favorite Punching Bag

Another day, another crypto spat over tech that'd put traditional settlement systems to shame—not that Wall Street would ever admit it. Meanwhile, banks keep piloting blockchain solutions while still charging $35 for overdrafts.

TLDR

• Ripple CTO David Schwartz responds to Litecoin influencer Jonny Litecoin’s criticism of XRP.
• Jonny Litecoin claims that Litecoin’s proof-of-work system gives it more value than XRP.
• Schwartz defends XRP’s energy efficiency and its environmental sustainability compared to Litecoin.
• Ripple has long promoted XRP’s eco-friendly credentials, opposing Bitcoin’s and Litecoin’s proof-of-work systems.
• The feud between the XRP and Litecoin communities has reignited with exchanges of public criticism.

David Schwartz, the Ripple CTO, has publicly responded to criticisms from the Litecoin community. The dispute reignited after Litecoin influencer Jonny Litecoin compared XRP to Litecoin, calling the latter superior due to its proof-of-work (PoW) mechanism. Schwartz countered, highlighting XRP’s energy efficiency and the environmental concerns surrounding PoW.

Ripple CTO Responds, Calls Out PoW Wastefulness

On Wednesday, Jonny Litecoin claimed that Litecoin was more valuable than XRP because it uses a PoW system. He argued that new Litecoin coins require computational resources to mine, while XRP “comes from lines of code” with no energy use. “Is XRP really valuable?” Jonny Litecoin questioned, referring to the token’s market cap of $709 million.

David Schwartz quickly responded, defending XRP’s sustainability and efficiency. He pointed out that while Litecoin consumes more energy through PoW, XRP operates in a far more environmentally friendly manner. Schwartz argued that XRP will become increasingly popular as the demand for sustainable solutions grows.

Two products are equivalent except that one takes much more energy to make than the other. Which one do you think is the most likely to grow in popularity over time?

— David 'JoelKatz' Schwartz (@JoelKatz) September 3, 2025

Schwartz Highlights Ripple’s Commitment to Sustainability

Schwartz also noted that Ripple has long promoted XRP’s “green cred,” citing the company’s opposition to Bitcoin’s energy-intensive consensus mechanism. Ripple’s co-founder, Chris Larsen, has partnered with Greenpeace to campaign against Bitcoin’s PoW algorithm. This collaboration highlights Ripple’s commitment to sustainability, which Schwartz believes sets XRP apart from its competitors.

The argument between the two communities is not new, with XRP supporters and PoW advocates frequently at odds. Litecoin’s official social media recently mocked Brad Garlinghouse, Ripple’s CEO, further stoking tensions. Despite the attacks, the Ripple CTO remains steadfast, asserting that XRP’s eco-friendly nature offers significant advantages over Litecoin’s PoW-based system.