A long-standing mystery about the earliest days of the XRP Ledger has resurfaced, prompting Ripple’s chief technology officer David Schwartz to offer a rare explanation.
The controversy centers on a chunk of early blockchain history—about 32,000 blocks—that simply no longer exist. Some in the XRP community have questioned whether this was deliberate. Schwartz says otherwise.
According to the Ripple executive, the missing blocks were lost due to a bug in the software during XRP Ledger’s early development, not because anyone intended to erase them. He noted that this issue occurred when developers were experimenting with different ledger stream configurations before the system was fully operational.
The original idea of resetting the entire ledger to restore consistency was floated, but ultimately dismissed. Doing so, Schwartz explained, would have resulted in losing everything after block 32,000—not a viable solution. Instead, the team chose to move forward with what they had, prioritizing the protection and stability of the chain moving ahead.
This incident left a permanent gap in the ledger’s transaction history. The earliest block available today is number 32,570, meaning the first 10 days of on-chain activity have vanished with no backups or recovery options.
Schwartz also pointed out that the problem was first internally identified months ago and has only recently regained attention in the public sphere. Despite the community’s concerns, Ripple maintains that continuing with the existing ledger—minus the first few days—was the most secure and responsible option available at the time.
Alexander Stefanov
Reporter at Coindoo
Alex is an experienced financial journalist and cryptocurrency enthusiast. With over 8 years of experience covering the crypto, blockchain, and fintech industries, he is well-versed in the complex and ever-evolving world of digital assets. His insightful and thought-provoking articles provide readers with a clear picture of the latest developments and trends in the market. His approach allows him to break down complex ideas into accessible and in-depth content. Follow his publications to stay up to date with the most important trends and topics.
Source: https://coindoo.com/ripple-cto-breaks-silence-on-missing-xrp-ledger-history/