Arthur Britto, co-founder of Ripple Labs, is almost as mysterious as Satoshi Nakamoto himself. Credited with founding Ripple (XRP) and the XRP Ledger alongside Jed McCaleb and Chris Larsen, Arthur Britto has dodged every flash of the crypto limelight.
No photos. No interviews. Not even a public appearance under the Ripple name. The mystery runs so deep that some XRP fans speculate he might not even exist.
If not for a few select revelations from Ripple’s CTO David Schwartz, I wouldn’t blame you for thinking that Arthur Britto wasn’t even a real person.
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Who is the man behind the code, and why has he chosen the path of obscurity?
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Who is Arthur Britto?
Arthur Britto II is one of the co-founders behind Ripple, one of the largest blockchain networks in the cryptocurrency industry. Aside from that, little to nothing is known. His 𝕏 account is completely unused despite having over 12,000 followers.
While Brad Garlinghouse and David Schwartz are vocal champions of the Ripple ecosystem, Britto is something of a recluse. Finding information about him online is like noodling for a needle in a haystack, with more misinformation and speculation than cold, hard facts.
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Despite this, it’s safe to say that Arthur Britto is a talented programmer and software engineer, likely from America. David Schwartz confirmed that Britto was one of the Ripple team’s earliest contributors, and the pair worked diligently to bring the XRP Ledger to life in the early 2010s.
What else do we know about Arthur Britto?
Arthur Britto History
Arthur Britto’s narrative is as captivating as it is enigmatic. While many details of his early life remain concealed, certain fragments of his career have cropped up.
In a remarkable twist of fate, these only add to the mystery.
Arthur Britto – Game Designer?
One of the only available records of Britto’s pre-Ripple career hints that he was involved in game development as far back as the 1980s. Moby Games, a database of old video games, notes that Britto is a named contributor to a selection of niche titles from the 80’s, including Armor Alley, Strategic Conquest, Crypt of Medea, and Rescue Raiders.
This connection could easily be chalked up to a shared name’s mere coincidence if not for David Schwartz. The Ripple CTO confirmed the link on 𝕏, highlighting that Arthur Britto is both a Ripple Co-Founder and the retro game developer mentioned on Moby Games.
Whatever other professional experience he may have had, there’s no denying that Britto is a talented developer. How else would he have linked up with Jed McCaleb and conceived what would later become the Ripple Ecosystem?
Birth of Ripple XRP
Jed McCaleb first theorized a Bitcoin alternative in 2011, believing that the Proof-of-Work consensus mechanism is wasteful and inefficient, meaning it wouldn’t grow effectively. Lo and behold, we can see that he was right a decade later. Bitcoin’s scalability issues, namely transaction speeds and gas fees, hinder the network’s growth.
In any case, McCaleb got to work on ‘Newcoin’ with David Schwartz. The project quickly showed promise, leading the pair to find a third developer, Arthur Britto, to help iron out the codebase and make their blockchain dreams a reality.
The proposed network aimed to revolutionize cross-border payments and make sending international transfers as simple and smooth as possible. Settling international payments is typically a lengthy and expensive process. Still, Ripple’s technology meant people anywhere in the world could send money overseas in seconds while paying less than a penny in transaction fees.
Now that the technical snowball was rolling and XRP’s potential was gathering momentum, the trio brought on Chris Larsen as the company’s first Chief Executive Officer in 2012. After officially launching what is now the XRP Ledger in 2012, Newcoin was briefly renamed to Opencoin before rebranding a second time to Ripple in 2013.
But Ripple’s speed and efficiency were just scratching the surface of its capabilities. The XRP Ledger could bridge fiat currencies and other commodities seamlessly, a revolutionary feature at the time.
With time, tensions clashed between Ripple’s founding members, and Jed McCaleb parted with Ripple Labs. Drawing inspiration from what he’s created at Ripple Labs, he founded a rival crypto project, Stellar (XLM).
Polysign
It may surprise XRP fans out there, but Ripple wasn’t the only blockchain-based startup that Arthur Britto and David Schwartz collaborated on.
In 2017, the pair founded a second venture, a digital asset infrastructure company named Polysign. At face value, Polysign’s mission is rather vague. The company claims to create industry-leading infrastructure for financial institutions, but its site lacks more detailed information. Arthur Britto is named as the founder and president of Polysign, with David Schwartz in an advisory role.
A more detailed look at Polysign’s 𝕏 account tells us that Arthur’s second venture is the parent company of two smaller fintech firms, Standard Custody, and MG Stover & Co.
Is Arthur Britto Real?
Throughout Arthur Britto’s professional history, one thing has remained consistent. He’s fiercely guarded his privacy. In over a decade at Ripple Labs, no photos of Britto have ever surfaced on the internet, nor has he made any public appearances or interviews. Even Polysign’s team page is blank next to the President’s name.
Britto’s secrecy has led many XRP fans to question whether the XRP founder even exists. Popular Ripple influencers like Digital Asset Investor have created videos on this phenomenon, while entire XRPchat forums are dedicated to the mystery.
As fun as crypto enigmas are, it seems exceptionally unlikely that Arthur Britto is a false identity.
David Schwartz has mentioned Britto on numerous occasions, commending him on his humility. In a now-deleted article originally published on The Block, a Ripple spokesperson and advisor attested that “Arthur is an introvert and super private. [He] has no desire to be a public figure for personal reasons. He’s just in it for the technology.”
The crypto space is infamous for creating cult figures and worshiping its champions. Before their respective implosions, Do Kwon and SBF were widely considered industry heroes. Who can blame Arthur Britto for wanting to live a peaceful life away from the throes of internet notoriety?
Arthur Britto Conspiracies
XRP fans burst with excitement when a supposed Arthur Britto quote circulated 𝕏. In the quote, Britto claimed that XRP was designed to go to $10,000. Some crypto news outlets and XRP bulls were quick to share the ‘breaking story,’ but no source was ever found.
Similarly, another crypto news outlet posted a picture of Arthur Britto alongside an article stating that XRP was set to dominate world finance This image was later proved incorrect after former Forbes writer Michael Del Castillo joked that he’d “found” the mysterious founder.
What’s Next for Arthur Britto?
Predicting the future of such a reclusive and mysterious figure is no easy feat. Nothing suggests that Arthur Britto has stepped down from his roles at Ripple and Polysign. At the same time, there’s nothing to suggest that he’s actively contributing to the growth and development of these companies outside of the occasional mention from David Schwartz.
Unless communicated otherwise, we expect Arthur Britto to continue to fulfill his responsibilities at Ripple Labs and Polysign. After over a decade of ambiguity, Britto will likely continue to operate in secrecy as he has always done to protect his privacy.
On the Flipside
- Ripple co-founder Arthur Britto’s choice to shun the limelight has helped him avoid much of the public pressure and scrutiny that blockchain founders constantly face. Keyboard warriors on social media endlessly criticize rival founders like Charles Hoskinson and Anatoly Yakovenko for baseless reasons, so it’s easy to see why Britto prefers to stay out of the public eye.
Why This Matters
Despite the mystery surrounding the XRP founder, it’s evident that Arthur Britto has been deeply involved in the growth and development of the Ripple ecosystem. Any XRP fan should take the time to learn what they can about the mysterious founder because this will help them detect potential scams and impersonation attempts.
FAQs
Ripple Labs and the XRP cryptocurrency were founded by Jed McCaleb, Chris Larsen, and Arthur Britto. David Schwartz was also heavily involved despite not being a credited founder.
XRP is designed to be whatever price the market decides. This $10,000 figure is fake news plucked from thin air by XRP Bulls on social media, who claimed that Arthur Britto made this statement. No source was ever found.
Jed McCaleb, a Ripple Labs co-founder, left the company after disputes with other founding members.
No, however, you can buy XRP on most popular cryptocurrency exchanges.
