Arthur Britto, the mysterious co-founder of Ripple, made his first public post since helping create the blockchain-focused company in 2011.
Britto posted to X on Monday for the first time since creating the account in August 2011, sharing an emoji of a face without a mouth, which typically indicates speechlessness, but its meaning can vary.
Fellow Ripple co-founder David Schwartz confirmed on X that the post on Britto’s account “was not a hack or compromise.”
Alongside Schwartz and Mt. Gox founder Jed McCaleb, Britto created the XRP Ledger, launched in 2012, and later helped to add the blockchain’s token, XRP (XRP).
He also co-founded NewCoin alongside Schwartz, McCaleb and Chris Larsen, which was renamed OpenCoin before it finally rebranded as Ripple Labs. He then took up a role as an adviser.
Britto is probably best known for being a “ghost,” as there are no verified photographs of him, he has never given an interview or public statement (not counting his emoji post) and seemingly tries his best to stay out of the limelight.
He is also listed as the founder and president of the blockchain infrastructure company PolySign. Business documents for crypto exchange Bitstamp listed Britto as a director in May 2014, before being terminated in September 2015.
Britto’s name appears in documents in a handful of US court cases, including the Securities and Exchange Commission’s lawsuit against Ripple Labs, but only to mention that he co-created XRP.
He also sued McCaleb in a California court in 2015, alleging a breach of contract over McCaleb’s founding of Stellar, which he claimed copied Ripple’s code.
Britto’s elusiveness has sparked conspiracy theories that he doesn’t exist, but many have confirmed that he is real and prefers to remain private.
Related: 3iQ launches XRP ETF on Toronto Stock Exchange with Ripple as investor
“He is a separate and distinct human being in his own right. But he is intensely private,” Schwartz said in a November X post when asked about Britto.
The Block reported in 2019 that Ripple’s communications team said Britto’s motivation for being private is that management can “take its toll,” that he is “an introvert and super private” and didn’t wish to be a public figure for personal reasons.
XRP has gained 8.1% over the past 24 hours, most of which has happened in the 14 hours since Britto’s X post, as of the time of writing.
XRP hit a 24-hour low of $1.97 on Monday, 5 pm UTC — an hour after Britto’s post — but has since climbed to around $2.20.
However, the timing coincides with a market rebound from renewed optimism regarding a ceasefire in the Israel-Iran conflict.
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