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, David Schwartz 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 Ripple, 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, 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.
Source: https://coinpedia.org/news/decentralization-debate-heats-up-ripple-cto-seeks-clarity-from-ethereums-vitalik-buterin/